


The Angel of Solace

by LeafThoj



Series: Demigod Boys Love [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Big Brother Will Solace, Gay Male Character, M/M, Male Friendship, Male Homosexuality, Oracle prophecies, Quests, Romance, baby sister, of age, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-03-04 09:57:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 39
Words: 122,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3063581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeafThoj/pseuds/LeafThoj
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years since the war with Gaea, one would think it'll be less problematic and worrisome. Unfortunately, 20-year-old Will Solace who decided to stay on at Camp Half-Blood is constantly glaring down at the unconscious pale and thin body of one 19-year-old son of Hades. Will's starting to think the guy's just messing with him because it isn't like any healer wants to see a patient constantly ignoring their orders to stay healthy.</p><p>Nico di Angelo knows he isn't being rejected anymore. Even if he was it wasn't like he cared. The problem is the fact that he's gay, and everyone knows it. Everyone knows he used to have a crush on Percy Jackson, and that it lasted for YEARS. The biggest problem? Most of the guys are okay with it, they just give him weird stares when they think he's not looking. The girls, especially the ones in the Aphrodite cabin, keeps giggling. No doubt they wanted to either break him up with his non-existent boyfriend or hook him up. Apparently they couldn't decide. Nico decided he was done with that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Will of One Who Gives Comfort

Will Solace was about to lose all strength of resistance. Considering the fact that it has nearly been five years since the last war for the world, he’d appreciate it if he didn’t have to constantly see Nico di Angelo’s face in the infirmary. Hell, he’d appreciate it if the guy would stop tormenting Will by constantly getting himself near the brink of death. Just because he was the son of Hades…

“Can I leave now?” Nico’s voice, which over the last five years has deepened just a bit, chimed into Will’s thoughts.

Out of spite he wanted to snap back and tell Nico to never step foot in the infirmary again. He knew that was wrong, and he knew it went against any healer’s principle. Saving lives and not turning people away was sort of the deal with the gift of healing.

“No, di Angelo, you cannot,” he grumbled instead. He thought when Nico had announced that he was going to stay at Camp Half-Blood that he was actually going to _stay_ at camp. Over the years Will realized Nico would disappear for days, maybe weeks, at a time. When he was at camp he would join for dinner, hung out with a visiting Percy and Annabeth or with Jason, and then would immediately go back to the Hades cabin to sleep. Afterwards, of course, Nico would disappear again for some reason or other.

Nico sighed as he leaned back onto the pillows. Will sighed too. He’d given up a long time ago with pushing Nico more than he could handle. He’d spent a glorious three days five years ago tending to Nico. He had thought they have become friends. Nico came around to help out after those initial three days, and he would help with whatever was possible. Most of the patients took time getting used to him as a volunteer aid in the infirmary. Then after a couple of months Nico started showing up less and less, and then all together didn’t show up at all. That was unless he wasn’t coming in as a patient.

Weeks after he’d stopped coming around to help in the infirmary Will had to, once again, put Nico under doctor’s order. The guy had pushed himself too far—again—with a mission he wouldn’t speak about. The first couple of years Will understood it was because he still acted as ambassador of Had— _Pluto_ for the Roman camp, and because he constantly ran errands for his father and stepmother. Then Will gave up with the excuses and admitted Nico was just pushing it. It wasn’t some kind of chronic illness—at least Will didn’t think so. It was more like an addiction, perhaps? Yet Nico didn’t show any signs of thirst for power. Like Percy or Jason he seemed confident in his abilities, unlike them he was very unforthcoming about them.

“I would prefer to see you outside the infirmary at least once when you’re back,” Will grumbled. He couldn’t manage to hide his anger with Nico. Gods, it was amazing enough he hadn’t been pushed to this point until now. He should be awarded a gold statue or something for managing five years just quietly helping Nico.

It would be nice to just be normal friends hanging out. Knowing Nico, he probably wasn't going to get that. Will didn't want the only quality time they spent as friends being shared under the roof of the infirmary. To begin with, being in an infirmary wasn't supposed to be a normal thing.

“Says the guy who’s always in it,” Nico mumbled at him. Will frowned. He was _not_ always inside the infirmary. He just happened to be in it most of the week because the Greeks and Romans were always very enthusiastic with their sparring matches and training. Since their alliance with one another the old resentments between the Greeks and Romans transformed into very eager and passionate training and sparring matches.

…Not to mention Clarisse was one of the main reasons anyone was sent into the infirmary for internal bleeding. Luckily she was leaving camp this summer.

Will managed to scowl before he grabbed Nico’s hand. He felt the darkness and the shadows that had tried to take Nico. How he’d almost blended into nothingness with them always crept into Will’s heart, creating a fear that steadily grew. He didn’t want Nico to be lost, and he didn’t want to lose yet another friend from camp.

Before he could feel how faded Nico’s soul and body was the patient in question yanked his hand away. Each time he tried to sense just how far Nico tempted the darkness the guy pulled away. Will was at the point where calling Nico the Prince of Darkness wasn't even funny anymore.

“Enough. Three days like usual?” Nico nearly growled the expected order. Putting his hands at a distance Nico signified that he was uncomfortable with the physical touch. Will had always been careful about that, making sure not to step on any landmines. Even if he did it didn’t bother him. He liked seeing Nico angry, laughing, anything but sad and expressionless... as if he was already dead. Will wanted Nico to react, but he also wanted to be considerate of his friend's personal space.

Glancing at Nico in the coldest way possible he replied, “No.” If he had to drag Percy Jackson and Jason Grace into the infirmary to keep Nico di Angelo from overexerting himself he would. For crying out loud he was the son of Apollo, head of cabin 7, and could make Nico di Angelo speak in rhyming couplets! He was Will Solace, and he should be feared as the god of Camp Half-Blood’s infirmary. Especially by Nico di Angelo who was bedridden in it every couple of months.

“Does that mean I can leave?” Nico asked without as much as a hint of mischief in his tone. He wasn’t like Percy who would try to get up and leave. He didn’t sound at all expectant and relieved like Jason Grace either. Nico seriously thought Will was going to just let him walk out.

“No,” he answered again. He put his hand on Nico’s shoulder and pushed him onto the bed to lie down. “You’re going to stay in this bed for two full weeks, you understand me?” He wasn’t going to take a no for an answer, but it looked like Nico was rearing up to it. “Doctor’s orders. No Underworld-y magic stuff.” He kept a hard grip on Nico’s shoulder in case the guy was planning to shadow-travel out of there.

Nico rolled his eyes before looking away from Will. He seemed… bothered.

“My friend, you’ve worried me long enough,” Will tried for a calmer and softer tone. It was already bad that he had no musical or archery talent. If he had to put Nico down with his dog-whistle he would. Nico glared at him for some reason, but Will figured it was probably because he would be stuck with Will’s pestering for two whole weeks. “At least two weeks before you decide how you’re going to try and kill yourself next.”

Nico’s face flared. “It’s none of your business what I decide to do.” His hands clutched at his side turned into fists. Will sighed, feeling like he should relent.

Were all children of the god of the Underworld like this? Will rarely saw Nico’s sister, but she hadn’t been this problematic when she got herself landed in the infirmary with Will tending to her. Truthfully, Hazel seemed very accepting and forthcoming with the demands of healers who wanted her to stay abed. She was one of those few blessed patients any healer wished they had coming in on a daily basis.

“Yeah?” he glowered down at Nico—he was probably going crazy from his long hours of work. He stupidly decided he wasn’t going to let up. “If I have to chain you down and use Coach Hedge’s medicinal patches on you I will.” Nico immediately blanched.

Will try not to smile as he wanted, because it was obvious Nico would only give him the silent treatment for even longer. He’d learned the recipe for those patches Coach had used on Nico when he was transporting the Athena Parthenos half-way across the world. For years he had waited to use that as a threat, he’d heard from Coach how Nico seemed to hate them despite how helpful they were. Will had someone coax the satyr to teach him the recipe in case Nico ever had need of it again.  

“That’s right. I know how to temporarily keep you from fading. I’ve been working on a way to make it more potent too.” Nico didn’t even try to hide his disgust and horror this time. After all, who else did he have for experiment besides the only special idiot who might fade into darkness?

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Nico grumbled. He held onto his stomach as he leaned to the side of the bed with the trash bin.

“I also heard you didn’t take to ambrosia and nectar that well.” This time Will crossed his arms across his chest for a formidable impression. Nico didn’t answer him. “That lady _Praetor_ told me unicorn draught seemed to work on you more.” As a healer he gathered the information needed to help any patient, and Nico was the most special of those cases. Not only was he a child of Hades—meaning near everyone had no idea what to do with them—but as a child of the Big Three, Nico’s powers were extraordinary and dangerous. From the little history of Hades children he knew, great power and the thirst for it were catastrophic to everyone including the user.

“Shut up, Solace,” Nico had responded. “Of course it works better. I’m a son of Hades.” As if telling Will that he was so different even healing methods had to bend to that difference. By the gods, Will wanted to strangle him.

“You’re staying for two weeks. I’ll even ask the others to come visit you.” Will grinned mischievously instead of verbally abusing his patient.

He turned around to leave. He had just gone off duty but rushed back to the infirmary before even changing clothes because he’d heard Nico had collapsed at Thalia’s tree earlier that afternoon. He’d worked with the rest of his siblings to move the near to fading Nico into the infirmary. He had also miss archery practice when he decided to stay with Nico until he woke up.

* * *

 

Nico was ready to punch Will Solace in the gut. Not only did he put a reminder of what he would do to keep Nico from using his powers, he’d even taken Nico’s things. Every time he sat up he was staring at iron chains left on a chair in front of his bed, as if taunting him to try and shadow-travel. Will would probably toss the chains around him before he even managed the feat. Then whenever he looked up he saw the contraception of celestial netting hung above him in the ceiling. As if _daring_ him to try and do something like leave.

Percy’s chuckle as he walked into Nico’s section of the infirmary turned into amused laughter. He, like Jason and Piper as well as Leo, first saw the iron chains and then saw the netting. Leo had a fit of laughter because he’d been the one that made the netting contraception for Will, but hadn’t thought Will would use it to keep Nico from leaving. Hazel and Frank had been appalled by the very idea.

“Oh, man, Will’s serious about keeping you here,” Percy laughed until he couldn’t make any noise anymore. He gave up laughing continuously for a few breaths of air. “Don’t tell me he rigged the floor too.” Then he burst into another fit of laughter. Nico tried not to glare at his old crush, but he still liked Percy. The guy didn’t change much, still cracking jokes and acting like a child.

“I’ve been stuck here for five days,” Nico groaned. He picked up the blue pudding Percy brought with him. What was with him and blue food? Nico never bothered to ask and he wasn’t going to.

“Sorry it took so long, Annabeth had a test to take,” Percy said with a lopsided silly smile. Even after so many years Percy and Annabeth still seemed right. Still so in love it almost hurt. He also recognized that smile. It was Percy thinking of Annabeth. Love of his life and all that mushy stuff.

A part of Nico envied it, another part of Nico gagged at it. He wasn’t sure if that was because he was “only eighteen” or whatever everyone said. Even his father seemed to think with the responsibilities he has taken up over the years as well as with his sexual experiences that he wasn’t “there” yet. He wasn’t sure what “there” was. Godly parents and speaking in tongues—he sort of wished he had Clarisse’s father who was straightforward and blunt.

“And you didn’t?” Nico asked, pointedly glaring at Percy. Percy was very Greek in all terms. He did things as it came and sometimes forgot them. Unorganized. He was surprised Percy made it this far in college.

Percy shrugged. “So, what made Will so angry he had to threaten you into resting?” Percy inquired in that lazy, in-leisure kind of way he had as if he was relaxing at sea. Asking made it very obvious he didn’t want to talk about his future prospects. Nico already knew. Percy wasn’t into captive animals, but he was great with horses and he also managed to convince some hippocampi to make the shores of New Rome their home. Nico didn’t have to be a son of Apollo to predict that Percy liked his potential future in New Rome.

Nico realized Percy was patiently waiting for an answer. “Don’t know. I woke up in the infirmary as always. This time he decided three days wasn’t going to cut it.” Nico tried to look like it didn’t bother him. There was a reason he kept from being around Will too often. It wasn’t like he meant to push himself either. In the beginning he just had too much urgent business and he didn’t bother taking care of himself. So in the end he ended up being in the infirmary any time he saw Will Solace. Now it was the only time he ever saw Will Solace.

“Again?” Percy asked with a giant sigh. Normally Nico didn’t catch on to stuff like that, but it was pretty plain in Percy’s expression he was concerned about Nico. “How often are you collapsing from using your powers? Is it dangerous?”

Nico tried not to roll his eyes. As if he hadn’t gone through the routine with Jason already. What was with Percy Jackson and Jason Grace thinking he needed them to constantly annoy him? Nico wasn’t a child anymore, and even when he had been he didn’t need anyone to care or tend to him.

“Come on little bro,” Percy clasped a hand on his shoulder. Nico felt his ears burn. He still wasn’t used to Percy or Jason calling him that. _Bro._ He knew they called each other that for good measure and because they liked each other, he just couldn’t understand why they called him that too. He wasn’t one to use the expression, but it sometimes creep him out. He felt even worse knowing how hard they tried to be friends because they were the children of the Big Three. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“I know,” Nico sighed. He frowned for a moment. He knew Percy didn’t mean to, but words like that were likely to confuse people on Percy’s sincere intentions. That was why heroes have such bad luck when it came to love. “Just too much work.”

There was a lot of work he needed to do. He didn’t want Percy or Jason, who tried so hard, to know what really bothered him. He didn’t want his problems to be theirs.

“Maybe you should consider taking a break,” Percy suggested. “Or taking someone on some of your errands? You know, so you’re not too stressed. I’m sure Hazel wouldn’t mind being the Ambassador of Pluto for a while.” Rage filled him for a second. Percy was suggesting something Nico couldn’t agree with. He was pretty sure it showed on his face because Percy quickly retracted the mention of Hazel even remotely doing anything that required her powers.

He wanted his little sister to be an exception to being a child of the Big Three. It didn’t matter about him, but he wanted Hazel to have an apple-pie life and live into old age with Frank Zhang. Even if it meant Nico didn’t see her as often as he used to. Even if it meant he had to carry the entire world on his shoulders, die a hundred times, or never know love… It was better than never seeing her again.

Nico hadn’t realized how cold the room had gotten or that he was close to rotting the wooden floors until he saw Will Solace walk towards them. Will looked about ready to skewer someone. He was wearing a green scrubs shirt and his shorts again. It seemed to be his uniform when he was in the infirmary.

“Di Angelo,” Will was in the middle of reprimanding him when he saw Percy sitting on the chair next to Nico’s bed.

“Hey Will,” Percy waved at him.

It took mere seconds for Will to take in Percy’s worn out orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and dirty jeans, the blue pudding Nico had been in the middle of eating, and the fact that Nico was not trying to leave. He didn’t relax even after taking that all in, instead he quirked a golden brow at Nico. In answer Nico raised his own eyebrow back, challenging him to reprimand him for following orders.

“So…” Percy tried to intersect their silent conversation. Nico let him. “Jason and I were thinking of staying with my mom and stepdad for a couple of weeks if things work out. Tyson’s coming along. My mom said she wanted to meet you too.”

Nico blanched without even trying to hide his discomfort. He was not up for meeting anyone’s parents. He didn’t even want to meet his own father sometimes.

“Well, think about it,” Percy said as he stood up to leave. He spared a glance at the imposing image of Will. Percy slapped a hand on his shoulder. “I do mean after he’s all healed up.” As if to assure Will that he wasn’t asking Nico to kill himself Percy smiled at Will. Then Percy noisily got up and left them.

Will sighed as he grabbed a bag from a table and moved to sit next to Nico. Nico was the only patient in the entire infirmary with curtains pulled around his bed, as if he was being quarantined. At least he had the window to look out at, he liked the night sky. It was like darkness but filled with light.

When he looked back at Will he nearly jumped out of the infirmary bed. “Why are you doing _that_ HERE?” Nico tore his gaze back to the window. He got that Will’s golden beauty came from his father, but he didn’t have to flaunt it about in an infirmary of invalids.

“What?” Will asked as if he didn’t know he was half undressing right next to Nico. “Come on, dude I’m only changing my shirt.” Nico turned around just as Will was pulling down the orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt.

Nico didn’t know how to feel. Part of him was all skeletal butterflies in the stomach, another part felt disappointed because Will was too comfortable with Nico being into guys. Gay men did have standards, but that didn’t mean Nico had any when it came to Will Solace. Couldn’t he at least be a little self-aware?

“Anyways,” Will said as he inched the chair a little closer to Nico’s bed, “Here’s the deal.” He put a hand on Nico’s and rubbed at Nico’s knuckle where his silver skull ring was. “I’ll let you leave the infirmary.”

Nico didn’t even pause. “What’s the catch?”

Will sighed and then groaned as he heaved his head down for a second. He straightened again and mumbled something inaudible. Nico moved his hand out of Will’s. It was starting to get uncomfortable because he was starting to not want him to let go.

“I didn’t hear you.”

Will cleared his throat. “I said, I’ll let you out of the infirmary but only if you promise you’ll stay close so I can make sure you’re not pushing yourself.” Nico wasn’t sure how much of a difference that sounded compared to the infirmary. Will quickly stood up and announced to Nico, “I’ll be around, doing what I do. As long as you’re in the camp I won’t bother you. Only if you promise not to overexert yourself though.”

Nico felt more disappointed about that, but he wanted to get away from Will’s pushy way of keeping him locked up. He nodded.

“You have to promise.”

Nico groaned. “I promise.”

“Over the Styx.”

“I am _not_ going to promise something stupid like that over the Styx, Solace,” he growled. Nico took his promises seriously. As Hades son it would just be shameful to swear over the River Styx over something as stupid as not overexerting himself.

“Okay, okay, fine.” Will raised his hands up as a sign of backing off. “But that means I’m going to come check up on you.” Nico groaned. He was probably going to spend most of the time hiding in the shadows or watching the other campers practice anyway. It couldn’t be that bad. Nico wasn’t exactly one for participating in anything, so it shouldn’t be that hard to stay out of Will’s way.

“Fine,” Nico sighed. He was starting to feel like a child that was constantly being checked up on by their mother.

He immediately kicked off the covers and stood up from the bed. Only to be attacked by the net as it fell on top of him.

“SOLACE!” Nico shouted as Will sputtered apologies. Struggling under the celestial net he told himself he was going to hurt this man badly someday soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> editted: 4/18/2016


	2. Take Aim

Nico di Angelo was sitting out in the hill closest to the archery range. It was obvious he wasn’t there to watch Will practice, because Will sucked. Nico was sitting with his half-sister and Calypso as they watched Leo Valdez and Frank Zhang take aim. Frank Zhang was unbelievably good. It was actually a shock that he was not a son of Apollo. His aim was true if the wash of relief on his face was any indication. Considering how good of an aim the man had he wondered why he seemed so unsure to begin with when he’s in the practice range.

Then Will took a look at the targets. Was that…

“Hey!” Will shouted before Leo Valdez could lift his celestial bronze bow. Will hadn’t said anything when he thought Frank Zhang was just shooting at bull’s-eyes. Now he was just freaked out.

“Crap, here comes Will!” Travis put the apple that was previously on his head with an arrow through it into his mouth and ran off. His brother Connor just grinned, took the apple that Leo had been about to aim at into his mouth and ran after his brother. Will tried his best not to growl. As much as he liked fun and games that was not at all amusing.

If Will actually believed he could catch the two rascals he would chase after them. Instead he trekked over to where the archers were.

“Come on!” Leo Valdez threw his hands up and grumbled. Will gave a breath of relief that he’d come in time before Leo had shot his arrow. Frank Zhang looked just as relieved.

Will approached the two where they stood. He glared at the Praetor first. He should’ve known better. It did not soothe his anger that Frank flinched from Will’s reprimanding glare. Later he would reproach the Roman leader, for now he had his own fellow camper to round up on. Quickly changing targets, he glowered at Leo Valdez.

“I’m not looking to have a cabin counselor in my infirmary _again_ , Valdez,” Will growled at him. Leo held his hands up as a sign of giving up. That smile of his said differently. Will raised his eyebrow at the counselor of cabin 9. Seeing Leo’s glee as the defiance that it was, Will took his bow from off his shoulder and an arrow from his quiver. “How about I use _you_ as target practice?” He nocked the arrow and began to draw back as he aimed at Leo.

“Whoa!” Leo shouted just before Calypso appeared between them.

She glared up at Will and snapped, “Don’t you dare, demigod!” Will knew better than to make Calypso mad. She was, even though she tried not to be, very jealous of the girls around Leo sometimes. She’d gotten used to Annabeth and Piper but she hated the Aphrodite daughters. She was overly protective of Leo, in fact. So much so that any time they were at camp Leo was rarely seen without her at his side.

“Hey, hey, it’s cool,” Leo smiled nervously. Will knew better. It was not cool. He glared back at Leo, his hands still on his bow and arrow.

“We’re not done talking about safety regulations, Valdez,” Will grumbled. He turned around to walk to the next ranges where the targets weren’t campers with apples on their heads. Just as he was moving he bumped into Nico.

He grabbed Nico before the dark-haired brooder could collapse. Will straightened him up, as everyone around them seemed to look elsewhere and cleared their throats. Calypso just looked confused and for some reason Hazel looked scandalized.

“Something wrong?” Will asked Nico as they both parted to give the other space. Nico glared at him. “What?” So far Will haven’t done anything to warrant Nico’s anger.

“Where is my sword, Solace?” he grumbled at Will. For a moment Will had no idea what Nico was on about. Then Nico folded his arms over his chest, legs parted, glaring up at him. His index finger tapped a constant beat as if it was somehow giving Nico patience. Tapping like a clock: _Tick. Tock._

Will thought back to six days ago when he’d ordered Nico to stay in bed and rest. He’d confiscated Nico’s Stygian sword and hid it…

Will smiled. It was in the one place Nico would never find unless he knew the ins and outs of Camp Half-Blood. There were few who knew all the ins and outs of Camp Half-Blood.

“Where, Solace?” Nico asked with a lower voice. One threatening voice. Will didn’t miss how the air was getting colder, and Nico’s eyes were turning darker.

With a dramatic roll of his eyes Will groaned. “I only wanted to get a few shots in before I ended up treating Clarisse’s victims again.” She liked to visit the camp now and then just so she could beat people into a pulp. That arrogance of hers was going to get her killed someday. He put his arrow back in his quiver and shouldered his bow again. One reason why he had no talent with a bow was probably because he was too busy acting as nurse to internal bleeding patients grumbling through nightmares that was Clarisse La Rue plummeting them.

His shoulders slacked and he didn’t even bother with how it made him look as he went off towards the Stoll brothers.

Will Solace, son of Apollo, counselor of cabin 7 and the god of Camp Half-Blood’s infirmary… Yet he couldn’t shoot an arrow even when it was practice. How pathetic was that.

“Give it to me,” Will said to the Stoll brothers who were now at the camp shop. He urged with a give-me gesture for them to hurry up. The brothers grinned as they each took a bite out of their apple. Travis still had Frank’s arrow through his. “Now.”

Connor reached down under the table that acted as their register counter. Will suspected they had some secret stash under their table. Before sitting up and handling the Stygian blade to him handle first, Connor gave some kind of knowing glance to his older brother. Connor was still grinning ear to ear when he turned back to Will. After so many years Will knew when he was not going to like what came next from either brother.

“I’ve got a question,” Connor finally said after Will tried to glare him down. “Is Nico, like, good at kissing?”

Will was pretty sure he made some kind of face because the brothers burst into laughter. Others looked around for a moment but when they realized it was just the Stolls they continued minding their own business. Most tried to keep as far away from the brothers laughing loudly. The two laughing always meant some kind of trouble.

“Why are you asking me?” Will finally asked, suspicious why anyone would ask. They looked content regardless, like they’d just told the world’s best joke.

“Well, Cabin Counselor Will Solace,” Travis grinned at him. Will didn’t miss the sarcasm but he ignored it. “We were just wondering if you knew.”

“Nico keeps to himself, if you haven’t realized,” Will pointed out. He realized the only way he would have known the answer was if he had kissed Nico and that was what the two were fishing for. From their faces Will had a feeling he just answered them.

“Yes, he also decided to stay at Camp Half-Blood,” Connor added. From his expression Will could tell he was just goading him now. “Only he hasn’t.”

“Everyone knows the only time he’s here is when he’s in the infirmary. Then he spends dinner with one of his cronies and goes off again.” Travis and Connor’s smiles were starting to look suspiciously playful. Pranksters to the last, those two.

“Basically,” Connor chimed in next as they suddenly leaned over the table closer to Will. “The only person who sees him most of the time he’s here is you. So dish.”

“What, you’re interested in Nico?” Will asked them. The two nodded and he knew they just wanted gossip. He turned around, hefting the Stygian blade over his shoulder like a stick. “I suggest you ask him out on a date yourselves then.” The two looked almost horrified by the thought. No one dared do anything to cross _the_ Nico di Angelo, not even those two pranksters. “I don’t think di Angelo’s going to like a third wheel though.” Will couldn’t help but smile as he walked towards the archery field again.

Solace: one, Stolls: nada.

When he came back to the field it was Annabeth and Percy shooting at the range. The rest of the heroes of the Prophecy of Seven and their respective love interests were sitting on the hillside again. Someday Will hoped there was a better way to call that group of people that the “Heroes of the Prophecy of Seven” but there wasn’t. Nico sat in the shade of a tree where the group had gathered with a picnic set around them.

He climbed up the hillside to the group. “Hey Will,” they greeted him. Jason Grace offered him a blue coke and he stared at it. “Don’t ask, man. We shouldn’t have let Percy get the food,” Jason shook his head with a smile.

Will couldn’t help but laugh. Percy was always getting things that shouldn’t be blue to turn blue ever since he found out he could magically get whatever food he wanted. It was the first thing he did when he was eating. He hoped someday Percy would realize that blue was not the more appealing color on certain food.

“And here’s one Stygian sword for the son of Hades,” Will grinned as he handed the sword back to its owner. Nico glared for a minute before turning back to watch the archery practice. He was nibbling very slowing on a half of a sandwich. Blue bread. Now that just wasn’t right. A part of his stomach inwardly groaned along with him.

Taking a swig from his coke bottle he watched as Percy made the target but was nowhere near the bull’s-eye. Annabeth made a much closer shot.

“Man I would have loved to try out my new amazing No Miss Valdez bow!” In which Leo Valdez held up the bronze contraception that looked very much like a bow. Percy happened to be holding the same one. Only the bronze bow was mechanical. Leo practically glowed as he looked up at Will. “It can calibrate its aim based on where you want it to go.”

“Where’s the ‘but’?” Will asked before anyone else could. With some of Leo’s inventions there was always some sort of “but”.

“But you need complete focus,” Leo said with a smile. It should be something he was frowning about. Demigods were mostly ADHD. “Say you’re aiming for the target, and you shoot but then you see a bird fly by and you look at it. Sometimes the arrow goes for the bird instead.”

“So you created a homing missile in the form of a bow and arrow?” Will lazily asked. Leo frowned for a moment and then immediately agreed. It sounded interesting and yet stupid at the same time. Most demigods weren’t into guns but that No Miss bow seemed dangerously close to missiles.

“Watch out!” they heard Percy yell.

Just then an arrow shot into the tree they were all using as shade. The arrow would have hit Nico square between the eyes if Frank hadn’t pulled him away fast enough.

Percy and Annabeth made a quick run up to them. “Sorry Nico. I was trying out Leo’s new bow,” he apologized as Nico pulled the bronze arrow out of the tree. “Then I looked up and…” With a shrug he grinned.

“I’m fine,” Nico assured with no hint of emotion at all. He handed the arrow back to Percy then looked at the squashed blue bread sandwich that had smeared onto his skull-printed black t-shirt. The mustard and mayo wasn’t the only thing that smeared onto Nico. The bottle of coke he’d had set down next to where he sat had spilled down along one side of his pants when everyone moved to duck and Frank had pulled him away.

Annabeth suddenly tripped where she was standing and grabbed hold of Percy’s shoulder and Will’s arm. She jarred Will’s arm up and his coke spilled all over his own shirt. Great.

“Sorry Will,” Annabeth apologized sweetly. That sounded nothing like Annabeth. “Guess I didn’t have a good footing.” Will knew that was a load of nonsense when he looked at where she stood. There was a rock the size of a marble there. How did someone lose their footing and trip over a stone? Annabeth was never that clumsy if at all. She was up to something, and Will could see it in her eyes.

Will tried not to complain about how he wasn’t going to get to practice at all now. Instead he excused himself as he and Nico got up to clean themselves in the boy’s bathroom.

* * *

 

Nico tried not to look. He really tried. The skeletal butterflies were buzzing in his stomach again. If it wasn’t for the hot spray he was standing under he would have no excuse for why his face was so red.

“Hey di Angelo, get in with me,” Will said as he slapped Nico’s bare shoulder. Was it strange that he felt like his butt cheeks were just slapped? Damn, Will Solace had no idea the kinds of things Nico fantasized about did he?

Nico turned off his shower and watched as Will climbed into the big hot bath in the boy’s bathroom. Nico never bothered to notice before, but compared to all the woodland design the bathroom was the only textile interior building. Not only that, the bath was surprisingly inviting. It was a huge pool of hot water.

“You know, I heard from Percy my dad’s into Japanese stuff. Especially the poetry.” Nico tried not to blanch. Apollo and haiku didn’t sit well. One certain idiot made the mistake once and got Apollo to recite his poetry. Obviously reading Nico’s mind from his expression Will grinned at him smugly. “Right, Percy also told me about the haiku,” Will laughed as he leaned against the ledge of the bath pool.

Nico quickly got in and sat relatively far from Will.

“Anyways, I read about the _onsen_ in Japan and all that. Apparently it’s very good for healing and relaxation.”

Nico sunk himself a little lower, wishing the water was steaming so it would cover him up more. He was a little too light to be in a hot bath to begin with. He was going to end up looking like a tomato. What he was most worried about was what the heat would do to him when his temperature was already up.

They sat together for what seemed like a life time. Nico heard Will chattering, but he didn’t bother to listen. The sound of his voice was enough. Nico felt like he was being lulled to sleep. The hot bath was starting to feel like a warm blanket.

“You listening to me?” Will’s voice was right next to Nico’s ear. He nearly slipped and drowned but Will caught his arm and pulled Nico against his side. “Careful, di Angelo.” Nico pushed Will away and moved a few inches from where they sat together.

“You really have some personal space issues,” Nico coughed out. He felt a shiver go through him as he sensed Will scoot closer to him. The counselor of cabin 7 had an arm rested over the ledge and lifted his hand up to brush through Nico’s wet hair.

“What are you doing?” Nico asked, feeling like he wanted to move away again. They were both naked in a giant bath pool and the temperature was getting hotter by the minute.

“Did you wash your hair properly?” Will asked, mumbling mostly to himself it seemed. He forced Nico’s head to tilt towards him as he started combing through Nico’s black hair. “You missed a bit right…” Will’s hand moved towards the side that Nico was squashed to him with, his fingers curling around Nico’s sideburns. “Here!”

“What-” Nico found that he was being sunk into the pool as Will pushed him in head first. He gurgled for a moment, afraid he was going to drown and suddenly praying Percy was somewhere to fish him out. Then some humiliated part of him reminded him that the bath was only close to three-feet deep. He managed to push himself up off the bottom of the pool onto his knees.

Will Solace’s laughter echoed against the walls. Nico gritted his teeth, brushing his hand through his hair to get it out of his face. He felt the bones of the dead underneath him and contemplated whether or not to have them strangle Will for him.

Then he thought of something else. “Percy, now!” Nico shouted instead, then laughed as Will leapt out of the pool clinging to the ledge. Will’s entire body curled up into a ball expecting some kind of wave to drown him.

When nothing happened Nico just kept laughing as he moved over to the ledge of the pool again. He frowned again, his laughter dying as he saw Will quivering. Some part of him didn’t like seeing Will Solace frightened.

“Solace,” Nico whispered, but the bathroom echoed his voice louder. He brushed his hand through Will’s mop of golden blond hair. If Will didn’t let it grow out so often he would look devilishly handsome. “Hey, I was just kidding.” For a moment he was concern, and then Will looked up at him with a smile and grabbed him around the neck pulling him onto the bathroom floor out of the bath.

Nico groaned as he slammed into the wet floor. “Hades, that hurts.” He was pretty sure he heard a _thunk_ when he hit the floor.

“Shoot!” Will shouted as he slipped and slammed onto Nico. Both of them groaned out loud. Then Will started laughing as he slowly moved to balance on all fours above Nico.

“It’s a good thing your only good talent is healing injuries,” Nico breathed through harsh breaths. He kept his gaze on the ceiling instead of Will Solace. Close proximity to such a ray of sunshine was likely to blind him.

“Hey.” For a second his eyes drew back to Will’s face. The man looked a bit offended.

Nico chuckled as he turned his head to the shower stalls. “Think about it. If you had Apollo’s aim I’ll probably be dead before Percy had the chance to shoot that arrow.” It took a couple seconds and then Will burst into laughter again. He settled down next to Nico, arms spread out as he just laughed and stared at the ceiling.

“Alright, let’s get into the showers and get dressed.” Will stood up and headed for the showers again.

Nico followed at a slower pace. He took a little longer in the showers even after Will finished. Then took less than thirty seconds for him to towel dry and put on his clothes.

“Um, I was going to tell you,” Will said with a towel still wrapped around his waist. Nico looked up as he zipped up his pants. With a grin Will pointed with the oddly familiar boxers in his hands to Nico’s crotch. “You’re wearing my briefs.”

“What?” Nico felt all the heat leave his face when he unzipped his black jeans. Oh gods, he was. Cotton boxer briefs with cherub cupids shooting heart arrows.

Will laughed as he decidedly put on Nico’s black boxers anyways. “It’s cool. Got a souvenir and all that,” he grinned in an annoyingly bright way.

“Take them off, Solace!” Nico yelled as he grabbed for Will. He slipped out of Nico’s reach. With laughter Will grabbed the rest of his clothes and ran out the door with his towel between his shoulders. “WILL SOLACE!” Nico shouted as he chased after him.

He suddenly remembered back five years. _“Ah, they’d never catch me.”_ Nico grabbed his Stygian sword ready to run Will down.


	3. Home

“Why is Will Solace...?” Percy was in the middle of asking Annabeth as they and the rest of the gathering crowd watched Nico chase after Will. Then he saw Will’s smile as he goaded Nico into coming after him with his sword. Percy shook his head.

“What’s Nico…?” Jason came up next to Percy and tried to ask. Then he followed the chase with his eyes as Will ran around the camp grounds with nothing but a towel hung around his shoulders and black boxers on. “Is he…?” Jason tried to ask again with Piper coming up to his side.

“Ten bucks Nico tackles him within five minutes!” Leo jumped between Percy and Jason as he wrapped his arms around their shoulders. “You guys in?” he grinned first at Jason and Piper and then to Percy and Annabeth.

“Let’s not,” Piper frowned. She started curling her finger with a strand of her hair.

Frank and Hazel joined them. With his muscled arms folded against his chest Frank cocked his head in slight confusion at the sight. Then he pulled Hazel behind them as she was very shock to see a man near nude.

“I say Nico’s going to try to lop off his head in three minutes,” Jason grinned. He stared at Percy challenging, and Percy was not going to back off from that challenge.

“Two minutes, Underworld magic,” Percy took the bet. He smiled confidently.

“Really?” Jason turned towards him.

“I’ve known him longer.”

“I know him better,” Jason pressed.

“Uh, guys.” When they looked at Frank he pointed towards the middle of the grounds where Nico was standing panting heavily. Will continued to jog away.

“Two minutes,” Percy reminded them.

No doubt within the two minutes of Percy’s bet Nico shouted in anger and skeletons popped out of the ground and grabbed Will Solace. It took all Percy had and Annabeth stepping on his foot from rubbing it in Jason’s face.

“How?” Leo shouted in outrage. He rummaged through his pockets and pulled a crunched up ten dollar bill. Jason sighed with a frown as he apologized for not having any American currency and instead gave him some drachma. Percy did his best to ignore the fact that Piper walked away, her hair whipping at anyone in close proximity as she swerved off.

Percy thanked them for their participation and watched as Nico’s skeleton servants drag an outraged and shouting Will Solace towards the Hades cabin.

* * *

 

Nico changed out of Will Solace’s briefs into his own. Then he approached and stared at a struggling Will who was obviously very naked.

“Nico you promised!” Will snapped when he saw him.

With a sigh Nico sent the skeletons back underground. “I promised not to overexert myself. And I’m not.” He turned around as he tossed the Cupid briefs back at Will. He walked to his chest which held some clothes he rarely wore.

Nico threw a pair of faded denim jeans he’d received from his stepmother years ago. They were too large for him still. She’d expected him to grow into them, but Nico knew better. He wasn’t going to get any taller than his 5-foot-10. He was also well aware of his lankiness. She probably gave it to him so someday he’ll realize he wasn’t getting any bigger.

He heard the zipper on the jeans go up behind him as he rummaged through the chest. Finally he found the shirt he’d worn from San Juan. He threw it at Will without looking.

“Hey, I remember this shirt,” Will grinned as Nico threw the boxers Will had worn into the chest. He kicked the bottom of the chest and watched as the chest’s lid fell closed. The bone lock clicked in place on its own.

“I was pretty sure I burned that abomination into dust,” Nico grumbled angrily. At least he’d thought he’d had. Obviously he’d been too disoriented after the war against Gaea to actually do the deed.

“Hey, this is an awesome shirt!” Will proclaimed.

Nico turned around to gape at Will. The guy could not be serious. That loudly colored tourist shirt was ugly. It was like a tropical mango and orange fruit mix punch… poured and imprinted onto a shirt.

Will beamed a bright smile back at Nico. He was tempted to cut Will Solace down but thought the better of it. Instead he growled a rough, “Get out” and pointed toward the cabin door.

“Not yet.” Will grabbed his hands and an electric shot went through Nico. He nearly broke down because his knees had been fried into jelly. There was a concentrated frustrated expression Will was wearing. He also frowned, which was pointed towards Nico’s general direction as many times as his smile.

Nico didn’t try to step back or push away. He didn’t know what to do. Will was already letting go of his hand but Nico could tell he was about to crumble to the floor.

Before Will could react to his near collapse, Nico leaned himself back. He landed on top of his black chest, heaving a breath of relief he was sitting and not sprawled.

“You’re exhausted,” Will stated. Nico glared at him. That was obvious. Nico didn’t have Will’s stamina for running. “You shouldn’t have done your Underworld-y stuff.” Will kneeled down on one knee in front of Nico, like he was taking a knee and waiting for his football coach to give some kind of speech. “Nico, let me help you.”

For a moment looking at his face and into those blue eyes, Nico felt suspended between time and space. It was nothing like when he’d been in Tartarus or when he’d been imprisoned in a bottle. It was not painful or lonely. It was neither dark nor light. Simply just was. He felt at home, like when he’d met Hestia for the first time and they talked. This—whatever it was—was a place that warmed him. Where he could always return to, was welcome to—where he belonged.

It was this moment in time looking into Will Solace’s blue eyes. Nothing compared to that golden blond hair, almost as disheveled and uncontrollable as his own (if only Will would stop running his hand through it). Nico hadn’t realized he’d ran his hand through Will’s hair to try and fix it until Will grabbed his hand and grounded it to his head of hair.

“Di Angelo…” This time it wasn’t reprimanding. It was soft spoken, coaxing almost. Nico was starting to wonder if Will could charmspeak because he wanted to do anything Will asked him. “I don’t want to lose you again.” 

* * *

 

Will observed as Nico di Angelo’s face went white from shock, sickly green, and then he lowered his head to his chest to hide his blushing red face. He didn’t smile. He was being serious. He’d wanted to be friends with Nico when he’d first arrived at Camp Half-Blood. Then he left, and he never…

Will thought back to five years ago on that day of the battle. Even as exhausted as he was Nico still managed to lift up his sword and fight. It had been amazing, glorious… beautiful. In the sunlight as he fought next to Jason Grace, Will ran to tell him of Octavian. Unintentionally he’d paused in the thick of battle just to etch Nico’s profile into memory.

“Di Angelo, you listening to me?” Will interrupted his own train of thought. He squeezed the hand in his hair, peering at Nico’s damp black hair with his bangs swept back. “I don’t want to see my friend walk away again.” He immediately regretted his words because Nico pulled his hand away so fast Will had the barest moment to feel the shadows seeping through.

Nico wrapped his arms around himself, looking down and away from Will. He saw his breath in the air before he felt the cold. The floor of the Hades cabin had been replaced a couple years ago with textiles so he saw no evidence of death and rotting. Will could hear the cracks of the concrete underneath though. Nico’s shadow was growing bigger on the floor too.

“Stop!” Will yelled as he clicked the iron wristband he’d been wearing and reached towards Nico. The wristband turned into an iron handcuff that attached its other half to Nico’s wrist.

“Let go!” Nico snapped as he tried to pull away.

“Don’t you dare fade!” Will snapped instead. He ignored Nico’s struggle.

He dragged Nico to the bed, as if getting him away from the chest and growing shadow would work. Nico made a show of trying to struggle but Will wasn’t having any of it. With a swing of his handcuffed wrist he flipped Nico back-first onto the bed, which luckily looked nothing like a coffin like five years ago. Nico’s subtle and consistent changes to the Hades cabin ceased to surprise Will anymore. He’d been subtly watching the progress for years.

Nico suddenly yanked his handcuffed hand and pulled Will onto the bed too. They both grunted as Nico started squirming around and managed to top Will on the bed.

“Take it off,” Nico ordered. “Now!” He pulled Will’s handcuff hand up and waited mere seconds. Just at Nico was talking a not-at-all-low voice squeaked, “I’m sorry!”

“Whoa!”

* * *

 

Nico had never felt more humiliated and angry at the same time. Hazel had chosen this moment to walk into the cabin with her boyfriend Frank. He could tell from both of their expressions they were misunderstanding the situation.

He glared down at Will Solace, son of Apollo, non-existent expert marksman, and a fool. Nico wanted to throw him at Clarisse La Rue and tell her Will had been bragging about how he could beat her in battle. Then watch as she pummeled his face to the ground and had his pride for lunch.

“We should have knocked,” Hazel piped out as she turned her back to them, eyes covered by her hand.

“Um, Hazel.” It looked like Frank had noticed the handcuff and realized why Nico was sitting on top of Will Solace in the first place. “I think they were fighting not… you know…” Frank assured her with a weak smile and very weak explanation of the situation. Now Nico wanted to throttle the hulking 6-foot-3 giant.

“Take them off!” Nico demanded again. All he could feel was how he wanted to sink into the shadows and just disappear. Or, torture Will Solace.

“Can you stop pressing your crotch against mine?” Will snapped back as he sat up from where he laid. “Gods, you know that’s a man’s delicate part you’re sitting on.” Nico was damn sure he wasn’t crushing anything, but he suddenly felt rejected. Like his having had a crush on Percy, being gay, was enough for someone who once urged him to stay at Camp Half-Blood to push him away. Nico moved, trying not to show how he was hurt or was shaking.

Will seemed to have pushed some kind of well hidden mechanism which released Nico’s side of the handcuff. Then he watched as it turned back to a harmless iron wristband.

“Don’t worry Solace,” Nico spat out. He knew most of what he said was just from anger, but everything else he felt was from a different emotion. “I’m not very interested in your _delicate_ parts.” He walked past the two Roman campers. He could feel how death followed him, rotting all the plant life and making all the living things scatter from him. He didn’t have time to care about how everyone scurried away from him.

“Hey, Nico!” Percy waved at him happily. What was Percy Jackson looking annoyingly cheerful for? “Hey, bro!” Percy grinned as he rushed over. Seeing him, everything almost disappeared. Percy still had that knack to suddenly gravitate everything on to him. Maybe because the guy had enough pressure and troubles thrown his way that most anything almost didn’t matter. “Guess who just won a bet.” Nico lifted an eyebrow. It sounded suspiciously connected to Nico chasing Will Solace.

Apparently Percy got the hint because he changed the subject. His smile didn’t waver, didn’t even finch actually. Nico knew people were afraid of him, felt disgusted by him, but Percy Jackson just never seemed as fazed at all lately. Well, except the few times Nico had snuck up on him. He knew he didn’t show it, but Nico actually enjoyed scaring Percy sometimes.

“So, you think about visiting my mom and Paul?” Percy asked him. There was a glint of excitement, like Percy had some giant surprise. He was bursting with happiness, like he’d been a couple years ago. Some big news about Paul and his mom that no one but Tyson and Annabeth knew. Nico had a feeling from that expression that it had to do with that.

“Sure, why not,” he answered with a noncommittal shrug. He needed to get out of camp. “Can we leave today?”

Percy’s facial expression went from shock to being elated. “Yeah man! Yeah!” Percy laughed. He hugged Nico for some reason and turned to run. “I’ll tell the others and get Argus to take us!” Then he was gone towards the Big House.

Nico was walking nowhere in particular when he saw Jason looking rather disappointed. Or sad. He wasn’t quite sure. He was still burning with his own anger, it was more quieted after seeing Percy.

Jason looked up from the bench he was sitting on. “Nico, sorry I’m not in the mood to talk,” Jason sighed. Nico sat down next to him anyway. At least he wasn’t killing life anymore. The air was still chilly around him though. Not like Nico really noticed.

“You lost the bet to Percy,” Nico stated. It wasn’t a question. From the way he saw Leo being yelled at by Calypso by the beach he had a feeling Leo was probably the one who instigated things. “So, how’d he win?”

“Hey said you’ll use your powers in two minutes to get Solace,” Jason smiled dejectedly at Nico. Nico did remember instinctively summoning skeletons to take Will Solace. “Leo bet you’ll tackle him within five minutes.”

“And you?”

Jason sighed. “I said you’ll try to take off his head in three.”

“So you lost,” Nico stated again.

“What a subtle way to make me feel better,” Jason said sarcastically. Of course he lost, Nico just wanted to rub it in his face for joining in at all. He was supposed to be more disciplined than Percy or Leo.

It wasn’t like he felt any better that the only decent guy who didn’t bet on him was Frank Zhang, his sister’s boyfriend. The guy who also happened to see that embarrassing moment of him sitting on top of another guy in his cabin. For some reason Nico felt like a chastised child who was receiving a silent treatment from their parents because of disappointment. Which was pretty much his relationship with his father when Hades didn’t need something from Nico these days.

“What an unsubtle way you tried to use me as entertainment for yourselves,” Nico replied back coldly. He watched as Calypso slapped Leo in the face before stomping off, Leo sighed heavily and followed after her in a slower and calmer pace. In the last couple years since Leo came back to them it’d been apparent he was the calmer of the two in the relationship, which was frightening to think about.

“This was why I didn’t want to talk,” Jason groaned.

After a minute of silence Jason spoke up again. “Piper’s mad at me because I made the bet.”

“You think I’m not?”

“I know you are,” Jason groaned. “I only made it because I was sure you’ll try to cut off his head.”

Nico laughed. For some reason he knew what Jason meant. “Percy and Annabeth have known me longer than anyone here.” Nico leaned his elbows onto his knees as he watched the hippocampi doing tricks in the sea. Then he thought back to when he first ran from Camp Half-Blood, when he first discovered his powers.

“That doesn’t make me feel better.”

Nico sighed as he leaned back onto the bench. He nudged Jason with his knee, drawing his eyes to him. Nico smiled at Jason. Golden hair, blue eyes, tall. Percy was starting to look like the dark boy and not the golden boy.

“Percy was there,” Nico managed to ground out. He didn’t often talk about himself but why not. He listened to Jason open up all the time, and Percy too. They trusted him to be confided in.

“Where?”

Nico cleared his throat. “He was there when I first found out I could command skeletons.” He knew he was shaking but he controlled most of it and continued to look into those blue eyes. He had to tell Jason this. “When I ran away from here, just before the Titan war.” Jason listened, didn’t move. Nico hoped that was because he was letting Nico say whatever he wanted, even if he didn’t know if what he was saying made coherent, chronological sense.

“Percy, he tried to help. I know he did. But I felt betrayed. I still… I still kind of do.” Nico looked away this time. It was why he found it so hard to accept anyone’s promise, anyone’s declaration of anything. He had trust issues but there were times he wanted to believe anyways. “My older sister, Bianca, she died in a quest with Percy. He…” Nico stopped. He had to take a deep breath. He also needed to be calm. He had to be calm for this. “He promised me.”

“I’m sorry,” Jason said. He meant it, Nico could tell. His hand was gripping Nico’s shoulder as if to give him some strength. Nico knew Jason realized just how betrayed Nico had felt by Percy at the time, because even then he’d liked Percy. “I thought I lost Thalia a long time ago. I didn’t quite know but I _knew_ , and I’m sorry Percy couldn’t bring your sister back to you.”

He could hear the words Jason wasn’t saying. Even if he hadn’t known or been there at the time, he was grateful Thalia was alive because Percy had helped retrieve the Golden Fleece. Percy had brought back Thalia, Jason’s sister. For all his faults and broken promises, there was a whole lot more of good done by Percy Jackson.

Jason suddenly grabbed Nico and hugged him tightly. “You have to come with us to Percy’s,” he whispered into Nico’s ear. Nico hid his smile into Jason’s broad shoulders. He was going to get a shock when he found out they were leaving today.


	4. Home is Here

Nico hadn’t slept at all on the way to Manhattan. Percy had been excitedly chattering on about his mother and Paul his stepdad. Tyson would chime in now and then about the two-year-old baby girl that Sally Jackson was mother to. Apparently she was really cute as she could talk but not really. That was the big surprise, and the two brothers spent the two and a half hours or so chattering about her.

“Percy is a good big brother,” Tyson had smiled. Nico just nodded along while Tyson and Percy went on and on.

“You nervous?” Jason whispered to Nico when they finally arrived to the apartment building. He’d been expecting a house but then realized he shouldn’t have. Oddly, he’d been imaging a cabin or home by the seashore. It seemed to fit the picture.

“Culture shock,” Nico whispered back. He followed Tyson and Percy up the stairs once they entered. The two were literally bouncing off walls. There was no question to it. Percy and Tyson loved Sally Jackson. They had a home with her.

When he had finally made it to the door, and he’d been dragging his feet, Tyson was already shuffling from foot to foot. He was telling Percy to knock on the door but Percy looked… nervous?

“Let me,” Jason had clapped a hand on Percy’s shoulder and said softly. He then stood in front of the door and knocked twice. They waited for what seemed like hours the way Percy, standing hidden behind Jason, held his breath in suspense.

“Jason Grace?” A woman with blue eyes and brown hair smiled just after swinging the door open and looking at Jason. “Jason.” Her entire smile widened, nearly shined really. The way she said Jason’s name was inviting and soft, as if she’d talked to him thousands of times already and they’ve met each other twice as much. It was familiar and welcoming. Warm.

“Hello,” Jason greeted her, shaken by the warm welcome. They had never met before, but she seemed to know him. “You must be…” he seemed to have lost his voice. Jason just stared at her instead. More like gape, and he seemed culture shocked. Nico fought back the smile. Jason didn’t remember much of his relationship with his mother or father, but neither was as welcoming or warm probably as Sally Jackson’s.

He understood the feeling too well. Percy was the only of them with a mother still alive. The only one who had a living, loving mother. Percy was a lucky guy. Nico barely remembered his own.

“Percy. Tyson.” She smiled at the two who had been unsuccessfully hiding behind Jason’s back. Tyson was nearly 7-foot tall and that was still small for a Cyclops.

Sally Jackson walked out into the hallway and engulfed the boys in a hug. Nico averted his gaze for a moment, giving the family some semblance of privacy.

“Mom, this is Nico di Angelo,” Percy turned and introduced Nico. She smiled brightly at him. “I’ve told you about him.”

She winked at Percy and Nico. “Yes, I’ve heard a lot,” Sally grinned. Nico had a feeling it wasn’t just Percy telling Sally Jackson about Nico. Especially the way her blue eyes sparkled, almost changing color.

When she finally seated them in the living room Nico took the time to appreciate the slightly cluttered room. There was paper sprawled here and there, toys mostly on the floor, and a laptop running.

“It’s cold outside, isn’t it?” Sally Jackson was saying as she set some hot tea on the coffee table for them. She handed them each a mug, sitting wedged between Percy and Jason on the couch as she held her own mug. “You’re all bundled up,” she started pulling Percy’s sweater and fixed the collar of the button-up he wore under. Percy in nice clothes was never seen… ever.

They each grumbled about how they’d left the camp thinking they were warm enough only to realize how many layers of sweaters and jackets they had to add on to stay warm. The camp was normally always sunny, unless a specific weather was needed in place. Or unless the magical barrier had been broken which haven’t happened in the last five years. Nico had probably only added a scarf that Hazel had given him before leaving since they left the barrier. The cold didn’t bother him as much, as he trusted the warmth of his jacket.

“You’re not cold, Nico?” Sally Jackson asked him when he hadn’t answered. He was only wearing his aviator jacket now. Reyna had given him a new one four years ago after his last one was torn up and lost.

Nico shrugged. “Don’t really feel it.” She nodded, accepting that was all he wanted to say on the matter. He felt the cold, it just wasn’t as freezing as everyone made it seem.

“You must be like super hot, Nico,” Jason said. He then made a sour face when he drank the jasmine tea, apparently not used to tea at all.

“Yeah, I am,” Nico deadpanned his answer. He didn’t betray any emotions until Jason’s face turned red. Nico smiled for a second knowing he’d just thoroughly unsettled Jason.

Percy smiled behind his mug of tea as he looked at Nico. He was genuinely happy. Nico rarely saw that look on Percy’s face unless he was with Annabeth. Then he saw the question behind those happy eyes, as if Percy wanted to ask something. Nico decided to leave that for later as Sally Jackson rushed to get the crying toddler.

Tyson’s big eye widened even more when the little girl gurgled and reached for him. As her mother set her down in Tyson’s lap, Nico suddenly felt like running away. He didn’t dislike children, but he definitely felt uncomfortable with them.

It might have to do with the fact that he was the son of the god of the Underworld—genuinely… DEATH—and babies were usually, well… life. Nico suddenly realized why most of Hades’ children never had a happy ending—or middle. How could something that was eternal, the only thing eternal to all things—death, bring life as well? Of course Hades _wasn’t_ death, he just ruled over many things that encompassed it. Most people didn’t see it that way though.

Percy smiled when he came over and knelt in front of Tyson holding the child. “This is Nico di Angelo,” He picked up his little sister and held her towards Nico sitting beside Tyson. “Ni.co. di An.ge.lo.” He said the syllables slowly for the toddler. Nico tried not to seem as uncomfortable, but he was. It might just be him, he could just be overthinking, but…— _dammit Percy stop pressing your little sister in my face!_

“N-Ni…co… dada…” she made a funny face, as if realizing ‘dada’ was not Nico. “Da… An…Ang…” the two-year-old tried to say his name. Her thin eyebrows furrowed with the frustration. For a minute her pink lips were pouting. Then her entire face relaxed as she smiled. “Angel!” the girl squealed.

“Nico da Angel,” Jason laughed as he came from where he sat onto the armchair by Nico. He wrapped his arm around Nico’s shoulder in a sort of hug. “You are an angel!” Jason started to ruffle Nico’s already shaggy hair.

Nico slapped Jason’s hand back. “Aren’t you the angel?” he asked Jason. “Blond hair, blue eyes. Fair skin.” For a minute there was silence. It was broken with Jason’s laughter. “I’m serious.”

“Sounds like you’re trying to tell me something else,” Jason laughed, wagging his eyebrows down at Nico. He patted Nico’s head and then turned to the child. He reached for her and brought her close, seating her on his lap. Nico was glad the attention wasn’t on him anymore, but he noticed the way Percy still held a question in his eyes.

* * *

 

Percy was glad that his mom kept everything the way Percy had left it even though the apartment wasn’t the same one that had been their home. The flowerbed of moonlace he had planted years ago outside his window was now potted plants on a table against his bedroom window. He still had a terrace as an emergency exit outside the other window in his room.

He opened the large window and sat on the ledge, leaning against the frame. Percy had gotten used to New Rome, the quiet and orderly lifestyle there wasn’t exactly him but it was very Annabeth. She was always about architecture and seeing New Rome in the background of her was always so right it was sometimes scary. He felt that squeezing at the bottom of his stomach that sometimes happened when he thought of her. It was weird but it made him burn, and it made him happy.

The few occasions they visited Camp Half-Blood was more Percy. It was his place. He still didn’t like the quietness of Cabin 3 but he was used to it. Years from now there would probably be another kid, too green and too troubled to really know what was going on. The pranks, bustling, and excitement, nothing was ever quiet but it would be there. It was never normal either.

And then there was here. Where his mom was, where Paul Blofis was, where he had a baby sister. This was home. All his life he only ever had his mom. Now he had a stepdad who wasn’t a jerk, a baby sister, a girlfriend who he was planning to propose to sometime after graduation, and he had amazing friends. Plus, he wasn’t going to be expected to fight to save the world any time soon. Hopefully.

When he turned to look at the clock, because he knew it was late, he nearly jumped out of his skin. “How long have you been standing there?” he nearly shouted at Nico. The glooming, sometimes way too scary ambiguous friend of his was standing in the shadows of the dark room just a yardstick away from Percy.

“About twenty minutes or so,” Nico answered with a shrug. Percy felt bad because he knew Nico didn’t like the fact that no one ever noticed him until they were scared by him. It wasn’t like Nico tried to freak anyone out. Sometimes Percy felt like Nico found it funny though. “I knocked.” Percy groaned. He wasn’t always this way but lately…

“Sorry.” Percy took his foot off the ledge and swung it down to hang off the window where he was seated. “What’s up?”

“I know you want to ask me something,” Nico said as he walked to Percy’s old desk and turned on the desk light. He was starting to wonder when he’d ever just sit at his desk at night with the lamp on. Doing homework or something normal. Never, probably.

Percy felt like laughing because he would never be that older brother any little brother or sister wanted. He was still worried about when his little sister would suddenly ask him to help her with her math homework or something. Like, _“How do you find x if 2x plus 3 is equal to 28 plus x? Well, you know one time I had to figure out the right trajectory of an arrow to shoot someone in the eye, right, but I just kind of did it anyways because I’m a Greek demigod.”_ Yeah, that was the answer to all life’s problems. Or the reason for it. _“And by the way, if you pray to the gods they might even bless your arrow to hit its mark. I know that worked for me.”_ Percy tried not to roll his eyes at his own thoughts.

“Your two weeks aren’t done,” Percy reminded Nico when he turned around. He crossed his arms to his chest, waiting for Nico to answer him back. He didn’t. In fact, it looked like he was trying to make himself smaller. His shoulders were up like he was trying to hide his head, and he was looking downwards at a corner of the room instead of Percy. Nico even leaned against the desk as if getting ready to duck.

“I know.”

Percy fought the urge to raise an eyebrow. Jason did that too much and he was getting into the habit of doing it. It looked sophisticated and like he could basically ask any question without saying a word when he did it… But of course only Jason could do it. Percy was more… Leo. The very idea scared even Percy to think about. He liked Leo, but he didn’t want to be considered like Leo.

Nico cleared his throat. “You look nice today.”

Percy almost fell out the window. His hands clutched to the window frame before he toppled backwards. He hadn’t expected that. He did remember Nico had said he used to like him, but he also mentioned how Percy wasn’t his type—which Percy didn’t really care about. He had Annabeth. Besides, he wanted Nico to be happy. He owed Nico that much to be supportive of him.

“I didn’t mean to say,” Nico rushed to try and save the complimenting from sounding like anything but that but it was too late. Percy just waved him off from continuing. He already knew Nico meant the way Percy usually dressed. “I…” Nico sighed dejectedly as he looked back down again. Visually, emotionally and even literally giving up on speaking.

Just for a second Percy smiled. Nico didn’t really like people seeing him as vulnerable, so it wasn’t often he saw Nico this way. It told him a lot about how, finally after five years since recovering Nico from his imprisonment, that Nico was slowly opening up and accepting Percy. Nico didn’t have a lot of problems talking to Jason, but for some reason when it was Percy then Nico seemed to pull back. He understood why and that he needed patience but it was good to finally see the cracks of Nico’s cold armor.

“Something happened with Will Solace.” Percy wasn’t asking, he was saying. He knew Nico wasn’t happy to find out he and Jason had made a bet of the fiasco earlier that afternoon. He also heard Frank and Hazel had apparently misunderstood what they saw later with Will Solace in Cabin 13. He also knew that although Frank had accidentally ruined Nico’s clothes and spilled pop on him, Annabeth had faked what happened with Will. Knowing his girlfriend, Percy could assume she did it for logical reasons that only made sense to her. It didn’t take a genius to notice that there was some kind of discord, but apparently it took anyone but a son of Hades to realize Will Solace had no idea what the actual discord was. Talk about reading between the lines.

“Yeah,” Nico sighed, as if just agreeing or confirming was enough to relax him. His shoulders were down, he looked less stressed, and still unexpectedly vulnerable. Nico used to look troubled and vulnerable, but at the same time his guard was always up. That cold armor he used to put a distance between him and others, as though solitude was the best answer was cracking under the pressure of Will Solace’s dimness. Nico had never allowed anyone close but apparently time had chipped away at him. Percy was just a little glad for that.

“I’m not going to push you to tell me, but I’m here if you need someone to listen.” Percy paused for a moment. He tried to remember what else was best to put in the situation. Well it wasn’t like he was a girl, so he didn’t think much and just added, “Also if you need someone who won’t tell someone else.” There were some promises Percy couldn’t keep, but he’d always done his best to keep all of them. When it came to promising Nico anything, Percy would likely move heaven and earth to fulfill it—literally. He knew the pain of losing someone you love. He also knew he failed Nico in the past. They were pass that, but Nico was someone Percy never wanted to fail again. The loss was too great.

The hurt would be two-fold, and a double-edged sword. Percy wouldn’t make light of a promise between himself and Nico. Only, he was sure that it would take something very dire or a very long time before Nico ever extracted a promise from him again.

Nico looked up at Percy then, as if expecting Percy to laugh and say it was a joke. Percy shook his head and approached Nico then. At first he had just wanted to pat Nico on the shoulder but then he found himself pulling Nico into a hug.

He knew they both needed it. They never really spoke about Bianca, even though they were past that issue. Still, he knew they had needed this hug. Needed the moment of understanding that there was someone else there with the other. That moment of mourning together. They stood together in a tight embrace for a long time, hiding each other’s face, hiding their sorrow, tightly locking away words of apology and encouragement until finally Jason had knocked on the door. 

* * *

 

It had been four days since the night they arrived to Paul Blofis and Sally Jackson’s apartment. It was large and spacious when it wasn’t cluttered with books and papers or baby items. Nico quite liked how it was so homey. Lived in.

Considering the various places he lived in, Nico quite liked actually being in a place that was lived in. It had a sense of home Nico didn’t have.

“So Leo’s new thing actually worked,” Percy said as he sat down and smiled at his blue blueberry pancakes. He was adding more than necessary syrup to it when Jason stumbled in with a yawn to the breakfast table.

“What about Leo?” Jason asked, ruffling his own blond bed hair before sitting. In matters of seconds Jason was suddenly well alert. “Where’s your mom?” he asked Percy after taking a gulp of coffee.

“She and Paul had to leave early,” Percy said before taking a huge bite of his pancakes. Nico was starting to see some very close wolfish actions from the two. Jason was gulping down black coffee like it was the water of life, and Percy was going at his pancakes like there was no tomorrow. It was almost as if they hadn’t been fed well for most of their visit. Or that they had a really late and strenuous night, although Nico couldn’t see how that made them doubly tired or hungry. Nico had also been up with them.

“So we’re babysitting today?” Jason finally asked after putting down the empty mug.

Percy shrugged.

“And what about Leo again?” Jason asked, apparently remembering his earlier question. He looked more awake now too.

“Leo’s new device,” Percy said. He lifted his wrist and tapped on the bronze watch. The three of them had the same watch. Nico hadn’t been happy about putting it on but he did. He frowned, wondering if it actually worked. “Looks just like the old one Tyson gave me, but completely different.” Percy was talking about the wristwatch that turned into a bronze shield he’d lost in one of his battles. Apparently Percy missed it, but it was broken. Tyson had been too busy to make a new one.

“The Stinkinator?” Jason made a face as he said the name. He didn’t like the name, but when Jason had said it Percy was all smiles. Nico suspected it was because it wasn’t often Jason sounded so childish. Jason usually acted a little too mature, and Percy a bit too immature—they both seemed to have affected the other over the years.

“Also known as the You-Can’t-Smell-Me thingy,” Percy’s smile was one degree of light off from glinting. He forked a couple of pancakes in the middle of the table into his own plate. Then he went back to the process of drowning his breakfast in syrup. “It’s doing pretty good at keeping three children of the Big Three from being detected for so long.”

Nico stabbed a strawberry with the little fancy three-prong fork by his plate and nibbled at it. Sweet with a tinge of sour. Something like life. Nothing like death. Nico frowned again from suddenly thinking that way. He’d told himself he would stop being what everyone considered as “gloomy”. He just happened to think about things a bit more, especially since he didn’t exactly fit in.

“Maybe we should consider going on watch starting tonight,” Jason suggested. It was only a matter of time before monsters noticed their scent, because Leo had warned them the watch’s magic could only go so far. The Mist was one thing, but covering someone’s scent entirely was another.

“I will do it,” Tyson said as he sat down next to Percy to eat. Nico had been getting up in the middle of the night since they got to the apartment. Sometimes because of his dreams, others because he simply wasn’t used to any of this. Tyson was usually up, mumbling quietly to himself as he—like Leo sometimes—fiddled with wirings or some such scrap metal. Tyson was careful to keep his project well conceal even when Nico watched secretly instead of joining him.

“Tyson’s been on watch,” Nico offered to explain to Jason. He nibbled a bit more on his strawberry. “I’ve been waking up now and then too. We’re safe so far.”

First the two looked at each other and then at him. They laughed for a few seconds and asked each other, “You too?” Then nodded knowingly.

“Guess the habit just can’t change, even with the You-Can’t-Smell-Me machine.” Jason grabbed some orange juice and poured it in a glass. For some time the four of them sat at the table eating, smiling to themselves as they realized why they each were so tired. Tyson stayed up all night, Nico woke up in between, Percy would wake up to stay on watch when he thought the others were asleep, and Jason did the exact same thing.

The peace didn’t last long. Nico felt something, his second nature making his haunches rise. First Tyson moved, seeming alarmed, and then he ran towards the door. Percy moved the moment Tyson shot out of his chair, following him. Nico moved before Jason could react, because he recognized the look.

Tyson was mimicking the voice by the time Nico reached the front door with Jason tracing behind him. “I hope this is where Percy and Nico are.” It was Will’s voice and it sounded… ragged, tired. “Knock, Travis.”

Seconds before Travis could Nico moved between Percy and Tyson. He opened the door. Someone’s life was slipping away. He could feel it. Every inch of him was warning him someone might die if he didn’t.

“Nico!” Travis and then Connor barged in and crowded him.

Nico shoved them aside. The one dying was behind them.

He saw a terrified kid, blood splattered across her face and drenching her clothes. Will Solace was standing crouched in front of her, blood all over his shirt and his jeans torn. On his back was a satyr who had a shirt wrapped around one of his furry calves.

“Solace?” Nico grabbed him before he collapsed onto the floor. Jason took the satyr from Will’s back as Percy moved everyone into the apartment. Nico shuffled backwards, trying not to fall as he tried to escort Will’s unbalanced weight on him towards the couches.

“Hey,” his voice sounded strain. Will lifted his head up and smiled at Nico. It was weak, without energy, but he seemed happy. “Hey, hey,” Will turned from Nico to say to the child trying to hide behind him. “This is Nico.” Nico couldn’t find his own voice, Will’s face was too pale.

“Nico da Angel!” a voice behind them in the living room squealed delightedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit 5/1/2016


	5. The Foretelling of the Truth

Will groaned, which pretty much assured him he was alive. He wouldn’t be groaning sluggishly if not. He cracked one eye open, only to realize his other couldn’t open because of the bandage covering it.

He tried to sit up but he found it hurt too much and there was a lot of weight on his abdomen and one pressing on his shoulder. He tried to look in the dark but all he could see was two blobs pressed against his one side.

Will figured the smaller weight on his shoulder must’ve been the little one, Alethea Yang, maybe seven years old. She was too young to have been claimed. It was too early for her to even know she was a demigod.

He moved his left hand from the couch, careful he didn’t shake either people awake on his right side. Will reached for the second head on his abdomen. For a moment he didn’t know who it was so he was going to shake them awake, because it was getting hard to breathe. Then his fingers brushed against the hair. It was a bit coarse, seemed too dry, and unkempt. He tried to smile but he was too tired.

Instinctively he ran his hand through the hair, feeling the long wavy length. Will found a strange comfort in it, but he’d wished Nico had washed his hair silky like when they were in the bath together. It was a bit knotted together right now.

“Mm,” Nico moved, his own hand suddenly covering Will’s as he sat up. “Wha…?” Nico pulled Will’s hand away and stared at it and then traced his hand to his arm to him. “Will,” Nico gasped as he got off Will and leaned forward. He was a little too close for comfort, although Will didn’t feel comfortable on the couch to begin with.

Will was going to say something but before he could Nico dropped his forehead to Will’s chest. He fought back a groan. He’d taken a blow from a Cyclops’ ax, nearly getting hacked apart if Travis hadn’t pulled him back quicker.

Nico’s hand was just over Will’s heart when Nico brought his head back up to face Will. They were so close their noses were touching and Nico’s dark eyes almost gleamed with the starlight peeking through the window. Will must have been dreaming, the way colors seemed to blend into those dark eyes shouldn’t couldn’t be real.

Will remembered putting a hand over Nico’s as he inched closer to Nico. He didn’t dare move anymore because he didn’t want to wake up Alethea. He might have closed his eyes because he was sleepy but he swore Nico’s eyes were closing too as he leaned in.

When Will opened his eyes again it was light. He flinched and moved his right hand to cover the light glaring into his eyes. He flinched again when he felt the pain shoot through his right bicep. He’d taken a javelin there just before he’d jumped onto the cargo train.

“Awake?” Tyson suddenly came into view out of nowhere. He grinned, his big eye crinkling at the sides with his smile. “Have some.” Tyson handed Will a small square of ambrosia. Will took it and nibbled at it slowly. He groaned as a sort of sweet taste surged through him when he swallowed.

His eyes closed for a minute as he just felt it. This wasn’t how it tasted when he normally ate ambrosia. It usually tasted like his mother’s banana split ice cream. He remembered having them every day in the summer. Now the taste coursing through him was different. Different but welcome. Nostalgic. Missed. Warm.

“How’s Will, Tyson?” Percy’s voice asked with a yawn. Will heard him approach but he couldn’t really move himself. Percy peered at him for a few seconds. “I’m not a healer but you look like you’ll get better in a few more hours.” Percy grinned before turning to Tyson sitting on the floor close to the couch Will laid on. “You’re really good with kids, Tyson.”

“Big and warm,” Tyson smiled down at the bundle on his lap. Will struggled to look out of his good eye. The black long hair all ruffled up in Tyson’s arms looked familiar. Then it moved and he realized it was Alethea.

“Will!” she leapt out of Tyson’s lap and rushed to him. Will fought back a groan as she crushed herself into him. “Will…”

“I’m okay, baby,” Will grunted out as he forced himself to sit up. He pulled her into his lap, being careful with his injuries. It was good he didn’t have any leg injuries. And if he did have any he was glad they’d already healed.

Will leaned against the couch as he ran his hand through her knotted hair, trying to comb the mess. “Were you scared?”

She shook her head at him. Will laughed. Then Alethea grabbed his shoulder and looked him deep in the eyes. “Nico doesn’t lie,” she said to him. Will smiled and nodded. Nico never lied but he did tell half-truths and kept certain pieces of information to himself sometimes.

“Fern the Satyr is fine, his head injury’s keeping him in bed,” Percy said as he sat down beside Will. Percy leaned forward and held out a hand to Tyson who took it and used it as leverage to stand up.

“That’s good,” Will sighed. He stared out the window that had just previously glared sunlight into his eyes. It was almost like his father slapping him in the face.

“Nico’s sharing a bed with Jason.”

Will felt himself tense. Then he saw Jason approach the couch and slap Percy on the head in a playful reprimanding kind of way.

Jason sat down in another couch adjacent to Will. “You’re worse than Annabeth,” Jason sighed at Percy. Will noticed how Percy grinned cheekily then winked at Will. “Although…” Jason drew his eyes to Will. Will didn’t betray his emotions as he kept his eyes on Jason. “The bed is small, so we’re squished together. It’s almost like when I’m with Piper.” He kept his reaction in check for several seconds.

“Lies,” Alethea finally chimed in. Will smiled at Jason and quirked an eyebrow at Jason then. He was glad he didn’t have to hear more about Jason and Piper in bed… together. That was too much information.

Cockily Will clued them in, “My father’s also known as the god of truth.” They all made a face like they should’ve realized this about Alethea then nodded. “My littler half-sister Alethea Yang, she’s from Minnesota.” She actually had none of the features of Apollo, but then maybe that was a good thing.

Jason looked a little shock. “That’s west… north-ish. Central.” Minnesota was in the Midwest, and one of the northern states connected to Canada. Jason was right to be shocked. A demigod child living in that area should be dead with the northern Cyclops chasing after them. It was really a miracle that Fern had survived with only a badly injured leg wound and a head wound.

Will nodded. “Her mom died. She’s seven.” Then Will remembered when they first met Alethea halfway to Minnesota in Indiana with Fern pulling her along with a wound in his leg. “First in a long time to be able to tell the truth. Should’ve seen Travis and Connor’s faces when she kept calling them liars.”

“Hey!” As if on cue the brothers leapt out from hiding behind the couch and shouted. Will struggled to turn his head back and glared at them. “We were only testing her.”

“Liar!” Alethea pointed her tiny finger at the two.

“We were! We were!” they insisted together with cheeky smiles.

“Lies!”

“You’re lying!”

“No you are!” she screamed.

“Liar. Liar. Pants on fire!” the brothers rhymed together.

“Lies!” Alethea shouted higher. Then she held her hands to her head and let out a high pitched scream. Everyone covered their ears.

“I see she’s a prodigy to that dog-whistle of yours.”

Will turned around quickly, even standing up and holding Alethea in his arms. He watched Nico come out from the hallway into the kitchen and living room. Nico held out his hand to block the light escaping through the gap of the shades.

When Nico stepped closer Will saw him better. Disheveled bed hair worse than his shaggy hair, he was squinting through the light, his skin which others call pale to this day was still porcelain to Will. Within seconds Will felt his entire face heat up and his blood rush. He coughed to find a reason to turn his face and hide it. Nico was only in a loose muscle shirt with a pirate’s skull printed on it, and black cotton shorts that came just a little down over his knees.

“Will.” Alethea’s voice drew him back. Her hand touched his jaw and her little fingers brushed against the corner of his lips. Her other hand pressed over his heart, feeling its unsteady and rapid beating. “Will,” she said in a reassuring voice.

“She is a child of Apollo.”

“That’s obvious,” Nico replied as he moved to the table. Then Will saw the lavish breakfast (and mostly blue colored food… again, what is with that?) on the table. “Yesterday she accidentally made Travis and Connor rhyme in couplets.”

“Seriously?” Will was shocked as he looked down at his half-sister. The rhyming curse was more potent collectively, but that Alethea had used it when she’d only seen Will use it once was amazing. “You are going to be a very dangerous hero,” Will smiled down at her. She giggled and moved her hand against his jawline. “Very dangerous.”

“Well, it isn’t like she’s fighting yet,” Connor pointed out. The two quickly beeline towards Nico and the breakfast table. “She won’t be dangerous until she’s at least twelve.” Will felt like knock Connor in the head for that insensitive comment, the same expression seemed to pass over Percy too. A lot of them, even before hitting their teens had been chased by monsters, claimed by godly parents, and fought for their lives more than once. Connor saying the same about Alethea as if she couldn’t do anything herself didn’t sit well with him. In the short days together he has come to really cherish her.

“Hey, why don’t you tell us what happened while we eat?” Percy slapped Will on the shoulder before moving as well. Then Jason slapped him on the other shoulder, but he was grimacing. Great, now he was between the two Mr. Popular. 

* * *

 

Nico sat and listened to Will explain how he’d received a quest from Rachel Elizabeth Dare. After he’d just left with Percy and Jason apparently there was some commotion when Rachel suddenly gave a quest. The prophecy was given to Will because he’d apparently been talking to Rachel before the Oracle spoke through her. Will repeated the words solemnly:

_A child of truth in pools of lies,_

_The angel’s promise to hold the ties._

_The strength of will alone to heal,_

_What lies broke a single choice will seal._

“You haven’t tried to figure out the prophecy, have you?” Percy asked. Nico tried not to notice at all that Will Solace sat next to him, while Percy sat adjacent. Across from him at the table was Jason, staring intently at the space between Nico and Will’s heads.

“After we met Alethea it was really obvious she is a child of Truth.” Will looked down at his lap with a heavy sigh. Apparently Alethea’s maternal family had not left a good impression on Will. “We’d just gotten word from Grover that there was trouble with escorting another demigod when the Oracle gave me the prophecy.”

Connor then blurted, “It was only natural to think Will had to go.” Then he elbowed his brother sitting next to him. Travis glared. “We volunteered,” he then offered to Nico.

Nico didn’t miss the scowl on Will’s face before he turned and smiled at Alethea pulling at his leg. Nico fought back the urge to run as Will picked up the girl and seated her on his lap.

“You okay, Nico?” Percy grabbed Nico’s shoulder. Nico nodded immediately. He got that enough times to answer the moment it was asked. “You’re pale.” Nico tried not to point out that everyone said he looked pale.

Nico suddenly felt a hand on his left hand. He felt heat course through his entire body as Will’s fingers pressed against his palms, his thumb rubbing the back of Nico’s hand.

Nico slapped Will’s hand away. “I’m okay,” he insisted.

Will nodded and then continued to explain how he’d travelled for Minnesota, because that was where the satyr had sent the iris message from. They found Fern in Indiana with a broken leg tugging Alethea along. When they first found Fern and Alethea, she was shouting in a language none of them knew.

“We were like super confused,” Connor added. Travis elbowed him this time but Connor ignored it. “Plus, she’s Asian. So none of us knew what she was saying. Didn’t sound Chinese though.”

“Travis knows Chinese,” Percy added for Nico’s benefit.

“That’s strange,” Nico put in, instead. Of course he didn’t know everyone well enough but it wasn’t like he didn’t know their overall personalities. Travis was unbelievably smart, smarter than Connor. Together the two were one of the biggest troublemakers both Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood has seen. That’s why if Nico ever needed to take someone from Hermes cabin to Camp Jupiter he would pick Travis. Travis could read the atmosphere, and although Connor did seem like he could stand his ground, Travis seemed to be the one with more restraint.

“What’s strange?” Connor asked with a furrow in his brows.

“Hermes is the god of language,” Jason spoke up for Nico. There was a hint of a smile in his eyes. “But neither of you could understand Alethea.”

First Travis stood up and started shouting in Greek, English and Spanish. Some of what he said in Spanish was colorfully descriptive of what he would do the next time Jason insulted one of Travis’s siblings. Then Connor joined in with a mix of Japanese, French and German. There were other languages too but Nico didn’t recognize any of it.

Travis pointed angrily at Jason and apparently started cursing in what sounded like an African language—or all of them. Perhaps it was Arabic, who knew? Nico just knew from the look of it Travis was threatening Jason.

Connor suddenly put a hand on Travis’ chest to hold him back from approaching Jason as the son of Jupiter stood up. Travis pushed Connor back and approached Jason toe-to-toe.

“Not all demigods just get showered with their father’s blessings like you, Grace,” Travis spoke between clenched teeth. Nico could see the anger, but he could also see why Travis was so angry.

“Hey, how about we don’t fight in my family kitchen?” Percy stood up and was ready to get between the two. Nico stood up too, but then so did Will.

Travis stepped back, shrugging his shoulders back. He didn’t say anything just sat back in his seat and cleared his throat. Connor followed, sitting next to Jason as before.

“I’m better, so let’s get ready.” Will moved around the table to put Alethea on the couch.

Nico stared at Will’s back, in that torn up white t-shirt, dirty with dried blood. The t-shirt just annoyed Nico, like it needed to be torn off him. Then he felt his entire face heat up and he put his hands between his legs as he sat down. He felt his stomach fluttering and prickle as if skeletal butterflies were flapping around. His heart rate was also climbing.

“Need a shower?” he heard Percy ask. Nico almost said yes but then stopped himself because he realized Percy was talking to Will. Percy gave Will directions to the bathroom.

Percy nudged Nico with his knee. “I’ve got something for you.” Percy stood up and Nico followed after.

Nico followed Percy to his room which was just across the bathroom. He wouldn’t have thought much of it until he saw that the door was half open and Will was undressing. He let out a sort of groan which made him hurry into Percy’s room.

“You’re going with Will,” Percy said as he turned around to Nico. Percy looked up at him and then sighed heavily.

Nico noticed Percy’s broader shoulders and how he was buffer than five years ago. Percy had grown up. He wasn’t always making those jokes anymore. Annabeth still called Percy “Seaweed Brain” but it was more of an endearment. Percy was the same but different. Nico hadn’t changed at all. He was still stuck as the kid who came out as gay.

“I am?” Nico asked, realizing suddenly what Percy had just said. What exactly made Percy think he could just boss Nico around?

“Argus is coming tomorrow, and he can’t pick up everyone.” Percy paced his room for a moment. “Will is mostly healed up but it looks like Alethea is something special if a prophecy was said about her. Jason just pissed off Travis and Connor, so you need to go with them.” Percy paced again. It looked like he was trying to figure out the best thing to say and the most important thing to tell Nico at the same time. Percy wasn’t much for well-planned thought, he was more of the do-it type. “We’ll bring Fern with us back, but a quest is always three.”

“What are you saying?” Nico asked.

Percy suddenly stepped up to him and hugged Nico tightly. “It’s only going to be you and Will.”

Nico pushed Percy back. He was bigger and had a few inches on Nico so it took more strength than he’d expected to push Percy away.

“What are you saying?”

Percy sighed. “We aren’t meant to try and understand the prophecies until they’ve already happened, but I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be on this quest.” Nico moved back, as if distancing himself from Percy also distanced himself from anything to do with the prophecy. He hated prophecies. It was the reason why all things bad had happened. It was the reason Nico had lost one sister, gained another, loved and lost and lost again. He was tired of them. Dreaded them.

Percy stepped forward and grabbed the back of Nico’s head. It wasn’t to keep Nico from moving. It was more of a caress, a sort of hold to comfort.

“Travis and Connor will be going,” Nico decided to say.

“That’ll be too many demigods.”

“Then one of them,” Nico argued. “Leo’s watch can keep my scent off for a while. I can’t…” Nico realized he was panicking, and he realized Percy knew. Percy _always_ knew. Then he remembered the look Percy and Jason shared whenever either of them tried to ask Nico if he liked anyone. They both knew, they’ve just been waiting for him to say it. Nico tried futilely anyway. “Why?” He gripped tightly to Percy’s forearm for support.

“We need to keep her safe, Nico,” Percy pressed. His voice was soft, as if he was didn’t want to alert anyone. “I wouldn’t ask if I could ask Jason to go.”

Nico decided it was for the best. Percy couldn’t leave the apartment and leave everyone else in the care of his mom and stepdad. Jason would take time to apologize to the Stoll brothers. Will was planning to leave by this afternoon. The only one who could go in place of the wounded was Nico.

He nodded then. “I’ll ask Travis to come along.” Percy nodded too. Nico could tell Percy hadn’t been comfortable giving Nico an order. He hadn’t been comfortable with _telling_ Nico what he was supposed to do or what he had to do. Percy had wanted Nico to have a choice. “It will be okay, Percy,” Nico assured him. “It is okay.”

It was only a few hours, Nico thought. He could survive that.


	6. Clothes for the Children of Apollo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the quest begins.

“Whoa!” Will grabbed for the towel around his waist when he stepped out of the bathroom. He backed into the room and peeped out of the door to stare down the hall. He heard Travis and Connor laughing their heads off as Jason sat between them. The three grinned and laughed uncontrollably when they saw him.

“Hey Will,” Jason waved with a smile. Travis was laughing so hard he almost toppled over.

“Hey Jason,” Will waved back. He secured the towel around his waist again and stepped out. When nothing happened he turned to walk back to the living room. Then he saw Jason’s smile. “Dude!” he grabbed for the towel as a burst of cold air blew at him again.

“Whoa!”

The three stopped laughing.

Will was pretty sure he’d kept his lower part covered. Then he stared down and realized… Nope, no he was not. The towel was secured to his waist, but the lower ends were blew open and were no longer folded to cover him in the front properly.

“Come on!” Will groaned. He moved his hands from the towel to cover the lower part. He looked around to make sure neither Alethea nor Percy’s younger sister was roaming around. Then he saw Nico and Percy standing by Percy’s door across the bathroom. Both of their mouths hanged open and their eyes were staring intently at Will’s little guy between his legs.

“Hey,” Will tried to greet them, but his voice came out as a squeak. He cleared his throat and stood up proudly, covering himself with his towel as he did so. “Hi,” he said in a deeper voice than usual. Whatever dignity he had left, he hoped he was going to find a way to pay Jason Grace back for outing his little guy down there.

“Yoooo,” Percy drawled. His eyes slowly lifted up to Will. “ _Hanging_ out?” Percy asked with a side smile.

Will did his best not to glare at Percy. Then he looked at Nico who suddenly rushed past with his head down. Will was about to ask Percy what was wrong with Nico when he saw Nico hit Jason on the head.

“You are freaking 20 years old, Grace!” Nico spat out.

Will stepped back along with Percy. Nico usually got angry, but it looked like he was mad. None of them were willing to correct Nico that Jason was still 19 years old.

Nico’s entire face was red, and from the way his shadow was growing it looked like Nico was going to burst. Will didn’t feel any colder than he already was, so it hadn’t gotten to that point yet.

“Well we were just having fun,” Jason shrugged as all three of them stood up.

Percy’s hand went to his mouth then rubbed down his neck to the back of it. Will felt like keeping a barrier from Jason and the Stolls too. Percy’s nervous reaction did not seem like the most efficient way however.

Nico grabbed Jason by the collar and backed him up against a wall. He and Percy couldn’t hear anything more from the distance but judging from how cold it was now getting, the shadow deepening underneath Nico, Will had a pretty good idea what might happen. He started moving towards them but Percy stopped him and pointed into the room he came out of with Nico.

“Spare clothes are on the bed.”

Percy patted Will’s shoulder and moved to the living room. Will gave up and went into the room and found the clothes on the bed as Percy had mentioned. He found clothes on the bed and his backpack as well as someone else’s. He was pretty sure it was Percy’s since Nico’s usually looked like a military rucksack.

The clothes he looked at were missing boxers. He moved the faded light blue jeans folded on top of a soft gray V-neck shirt. Will couldn’t find his boxers, and when he opened his backpack he realized none of his things were in there. It made sense seeing as there was a rip in the bottom of his backpack.

…

…There was a rip in the bottom of his backpack!

Will put on the clothes without a second’s thought. He rushed out calling to everyone, “Hey! Hey!”

“What?” Nico turned around. Percy had a hand on his shoulder and Nico looked like he’d just been choking Jason.

Everyone’s expression when they looked at Will was varying between shock, appreciation and anger. He decided that didn’t matter at the moment. “There’s a rip in my backpack.”

“You only just realized?” Connor asked. “The only thing that you didn’t lose from your bag was probably the ambrosia in the smaller pocket.

“No. No,” Will walked to Connor. He grabbed him by the arm, closing his grip tightly. He was trying very hard to calm himself down. “Everything in my bag is missing.” Connor tried to remind him again about the random things in the smaller pocket that didn’t matter. “ _Everything!_ Connor.” Will took a deep breath, running his hand through his wet hair. He paced to the hall and back to Connor. He was trying really hard not to panic or strangle Connor who’d been carrying his bag the last stretch when they lost the Cyclopes.

“What’s the big deal?” Connor shrugged his shoulder.

Travis stood up from the kitchen table slowly. They made eye contact and Will nodded. Travis spat out a curse in some language Will didn’t know and walked to Connor’s side.

“What?” Connor turned to Travis.

“Alethea’s clothes were inside,” Travis answered for his brother. “Her scent.”

“We need to leave _now_ ,” Will told the two immediately.

Connor was shouting apologies as the two brothers moved quickly to gather their things. Will groaned miserably. He’d never felt more pathetic on a quest in his life, and he’d been on very few even though he has been a cabin counselor for near five years now.

“Will.”

He looked down at his leg, seeing Alethea tugging on the jeans he was wearing. It was probably Percy’s so he hadn’t given it much thought, but he wasn’t wearing any underwear. Will knelt down and gave Alethea a tight hug until she squealed.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Will sighed as he pulled away from her. She looked at him as if she didn’t understand why he was apologizing. “I promised I’ll keep you safe, but…” he couldn’t look her in the eyes.

“I am safe,” Alethea answered him. Will shook his head. He couldn’t stop staring at her with her small bare feet on the hardwood floor. Little feet that shouldn’t be running for her life like so many of them had done not even ten years ago. Alethea put her hand on his cheek and he looked into her warm eyes again. “I am safe,” she assured him again. She was a child, but why was it she was more confident than he was?

“Stop,” Nico’s voice brought him back to the present. Nico was taking Connor’s bag and telling him something in a harsh but quiet tone. Will stood up again and turned to the living room.

“But…” Connor weakly tried to object.

“You can’t even run without limping,” Nico said as he pulled Connor’s bag away. “You’re staying here with Fern.”

“I’m not one of your skeleton soldiers, Nico,” Connor snapped back. He grabbed his bag and tugged it back to him. Nico kept his grip, and before anyone suspected anything Nico had Connor flipped on the floor and a knee pressed into his back.

“Yea none of my skeleton soldiers would get knocked down that easily by someone shorter and smaller than him,” Nico said sarcastically. He stood up with Connor’s backpack and toss it to Jason to catch. “Stay here and heal up, Connor. Or I will make my skeleton soldiers bind you to the cot next to Fern.” Connor blanched as he stood up.

“Alethea, where’s your jacket?” Will asked her as Nico walked past. Alethea ran off into the hall after Nico.

Percy walked up to him as Travis was exchanging things with Jason who held Connor’s backpack. “Hey, man,” Will shook Percy’s hand as he tried to find a way to stumble through an apology. He figured it was best to be straightforward. “I’m not wearing any underwear.”

Percy made a face. “Why do I need to know that?” He took a step away from Will.

“Because I’m wearing your clothes,” Will whispered, making sure no one else heard.

“Those aren’t mine, dude,” Percy smiled as he shook his head.

“What?” Will stepped up closer to Percy to whisper to him. “Dude you said the spare clothes were on the bed.” Percy nodded. “ _These_ were on the bed.”

Percy nodded for a second and then froze suddenly. “Oh right. Nico was using the bed to organize the stuff from his pack into mine, so I moved the clothes onto the desk.” Percy shrugged. Absentmindedly he added, “I never use the desk.”

Will was feeling very confused and very frustrated from this. Demigods weren’t supposed to be this frustratingly muddleheaded. “So whose clothes am I wearing?” Will nearly snapped.

“Those are mine,” Nico said as he stepped up to them. Will nearly jumped onto Percy.

“How do you DO that?” he shouted at Nico. He calmed himself down as Nico just stared at him nearly pressing up against Percy. Will cleared his throat as he stepped away from Percy to give everyone personal space.

Closing his eyes for a minute he collected himself. “I mean,” Will took a deep breath, “I was trying to have a private conversation with Percy.” He was really hoping he hadn’t hurt Nico by shouting that earlier question at him. It wasn’t like Nico had the intention of sneaking up on him. Those words just slipped out, like it often did but he still felt a pang of guilt.

“Yeah, about how you’re going commando with my clothes,” Nico said noncommittally as he shrugged on his aviator jacket and wrapped the black scarf around his neck before zipping the jacket up. Will noticed how one end of the scarf had the symbol of Pluto and the other end had the symbol of Hades. The only person he knew who would do that was Nico’s half-sister Hazel.

Will cleared his throat as he took another deep breath. “Just… is there a jacket I can borrow?” Will asked them to divert the subject. Travis flashed Will’s bloodied and torn up jacket at everyone.

“We’ll stop by the store before dying to get you a jacket,” Nico said sharply and sarcastically. It seemed Nico wasn’t all too happy with joining the quest. Will paused a moment. Nico was joining the quest?

Will decided not to continue that train of confusion. He had enough of that already with Percy. Instead he watched Nico take off his scarf and kneel down to Alethea. He wrapped his long scarf around her like some kind of scarf shirt. “We need to get her a new jacket too. Hers had too much of your blood.”

“Alright, you guys have money?” Percy asked as Nico stood up again. Will tried not to groan, at best Travis and Connor together had sixty dollars. “It’s only a couple hours to Camp Half-Blood by car but in this cold and the fact that you might get attacked might make a couple hours trip into a day trip.” Or the fact that none of them had a car.

“At worst Will might die,” Nico put in as he shrugged on Percy’s backpack. At best Will would die at worst he’ll see Nico is the Underworld after death. “I’ll get you a new backpack next time I see you.” Nico patted Percy on the shoulder then he looked at Jason still hugging Connor’s backpack. “Let’s try not to start a war next time, Jason.”

“Come on, Nico!” Jason groaned as he threw his hands up and let Connor’s backpack fall. Will watched as Travis deftly caught the bag and toss it onto the couch. Those quick reflexes was part of most demigods, but the Stoll brothers had some of the best reflexes. It probably came from the ADHD but part of it always seemed because they were so used to dodging or catching things from all their mischief.

“Wait!” Tyson’s big voice boomed. He raced into the living room from the hall. He grinned widely as he held something behind his back with one hand and Percy’s baby sister in the other. Everyone waited. “Surprise!” Tyson laughed as he pulled some metal contraception out from behind his back.

“Whoa,” was all Percy said as the mobile began to twirl. Everyone watched Percy’s baby sister just gurgle and laugh at the mobile held over her head. The freaky part was that it showed different images as it moved. None of the images repeated. It was like Achille’s shield from the myth, where the scene on the shield constantly changed. Even the stars hanging down the mobile changed shapes as they twirled. 

* * *

 

Nico practically dragged everyone out Percy’s apartment after Tyson’s mobile presentation. He wanted to get everything over with, and quickly. The fact that he just knew Will wasn’t going to allow him to shadow-travel just annoyed him.

After a few blocks they came by a department store. Will was already freezing to death, and it was a good thing Travis’ jacket could squeeze Alethea in as he carried her. They rushed into the store as Will basically bulldozed past them into the girl’s section.

“Is he confused about what gender he’s supposed to be?” Travis laughed. Nico smacked him on the shoulder as they followed after.

Alethea was struggling to get out from under Travis’ jacket onto the floor so they set her down when they reached the girl’s section. They watched her run to the only guy in the section. With his height, blond hair and attractive figure Will stood out like a ray of light through storm clouds.

Will picked Alethea up immediately and started talking to her about which jacket she would like and which one seemed warmer. Nico fought the urge to see the many women walking by admiring Will shopping with Alethea.

“Chick magnet, or what?” Travis grumbled as they stood just far enough not to be noticed as weirdoes in the girl’s section, but close enough to hear and aid Will if needed.

“I wouldn’t know,” Nico answered.

Nico watched a girl from the women’s section cross the aisle to the girl’s section towards Will. Nico looked away, eyeing the men’s section in the opposite direction.

“Hey,” he heard the girl greet Will, and then say, “hi,” more sweetly when Will apparently noticed her. Redundant greetings, always the best way to get a guy’s attention. Nico tried not to hate himself for his sudden childish urges while thinking to himself. “Um, my friends and I…” the girl’s voice faded into a cute chuckle, “we were wondering if… you know…”

“Oh, she’s my little sister,” Will answered. Nico fought back the need to roll his eyes. “Different mom, same dad,” Will told her. Nico sighed heavily. _Great way to start a conversation, Casanova._

“Oh, that’s nice. So, I’m Kailey.”

“I’m Will. Nice to meet you.” There was a pause before Will finally added, “And this is Alethea.”

“Oh yeah,” the girl agreed. She sounded interested but Nico knew she was more interested in Will. “So, shopping for jackets?” Wasn’t that obvious. Her tone was grating, he hated the type that came on so strongly in such an annoyingly flirtatious way.

“We’re losing time,” Travis said next to Nico. “And he sucks at this.”

Nico tried not to laugh the way Travis dramatically blanched. “I’m pretty sure Will doesn’t know she’s trying to flirt with him.” He did seem pretty dense there.

“Okay, let’s go,” Travis said. He grabbed Nico by the arm and pulled them towards Will and the girl.

“So how old are you?” Will asked. Travis stopped them immediately and acted as if he was looking at skirts on the rack closest to them. Nico just looked away again. He was standing out in all the girly soft colors with his unmistakable dark clothes.

“Eighteen. You?”

“Ah,” Will hesitated. “Twenty.”

Will was _turning_ twenty.

“Are you in college?”

“Uh, yeah,” Will hesitated again as he nodded. Nico peeked from behind Travis’ shoulder as Will was holding two jackets in one hand and had Alethea in his arms.

“Cool, what are you majoring in?”

“Greek and Roman mythology,” Will answered without a second’s thought. Nico tried not to laugh this time, and he could see Travis doing the same. Will hesitated when the girl didn’t say anything.

Will noticed them looking, and Nico observed Travis mouthing something to Will. “Alright, okay, I’m lying,” Will groaned. The girl seemed a bit taken aback this time. “I’m…” Will grumbled something. Will peeked at Travis again with a hateful look as the girl asked him to repeat what he said. “I’m pre-med.”

“Oh!”

Travis burst into laughter as the girl looked like she had a million questions to ask him now. Nico decided to save him when Will looked at him like a begging dog. He moved around Travis trying to stifle his own laughter. He approached but he didn’t know the best way to get her to leave Will.

Then he zoned in on Alethea looking like she was about to scream. She could tell Will was lying and that troubled look didn’t bode well. Suddenly his mind went a hundred miles a second, as if he was predicting the worst possible outcome.

Without thinking Nico blurted, “Hey, baby,” which got their attention. He moved to Alethea to try and soothe her as his immediate need not to suffer her scream but then something unexpected happen.

“Hey,” Will smiled at him, grabbed him around the waist with his free arm and pulled him in for a kiss on the cheek. “Hey,” he said again with a smile that looked to Nico as if he’d just been saved. This was not what Nico was expecting. It also wasn’t the reaction he’d intended.

“OH!” the girl backed away as Travis suddenly disappeared under the rack. Nico bit his lower lip as he felt all the heat rush up to his face. His ears were burning. He subtly tried to pry Will’s hand from his waist, but Will had clamped onto it with a desperation that did not seem at all logical in this situation.

“Well, I’ll see you around,” the girl tried for an airy laugh as she crossed the aisle to her giggling friends.

“Let go, you freak!” Nico snapped as he yanked Will’s arm from his waist. “I was talking to Alethea!” Nico whispered to him, keeping an eye on the girls in the other section. “What is wrong with you?”

“I… I couldn’t…” Will looked like he was totally at a loss. He ran his hand through his hair damp from the melted snowflakes on his head. “I couldn’t think… I’ve never…” Will’s words were lost to the world.

“Okay, I really wish the others were here to see that,” Travis laughed as he approached them, straightening the rack he’d nearly ruined from his energetic laughter earlier. Will’s only response was a glare. “Okay, anyways why are you taking so much time deciding on her jacket?” Travis finally asked. They were losing time on Will’s indecisiveness.

“She doesn’t know if she likes the cherry red one or the moss green,” Will answered as he showed them the two jacket.

“Cherry… Moss…?” Nico fought the urge to punch Will in the face. They’d been standing around for thirty minutes so Will and Alethea who was seven-years-old could decide which _color_ to wear? Nico grabbed the green jacket and then hung the red one on the rack. “Go,” he ordered.

“But…”

“NOW!” Nico snapped. He was losing his patience. They walked silently to the men’s section next. Nico almost wanted to punch Will in his pretty pouting face. How someone who was considered relatively manly and handsome could made such a cute face, Nico didn’t try to even explain.

As they reached the men’s section Will silently stared at the jackets and coats. He stood there in silence for some time until Nico kicked him in the shin.

“Ah, what is your problem, di Angelo?” Will groaned as he rubbed where Nico kicked him. Black combat boots were very useful for when Nico wanted to kick someone.

“You’re taking too long, and if you haven’t noticed we have four demigods on the run, one who is a child of Hades,” Nico growled between clenched teeth. He wanted to finish this stupid quest of theirs as quickly as possible so he could leave. Some people actually had a life outside of the two camps.

Will shot Nico a sharp look and turned back to the rack of jackets and coats. He threw his hands up with a groan. “I don’t know. I don’t like any of these.”

“You don’t need to like them, you just need to wear one,” Nico said with his voice as calm and articulated as possible. Will was stretching Nico’s patience as well as his anger and it was not doing Nico any good.

“Then you pick!” Will waved at Nico. Nico tried not to glare but judging from the way Travis, with Alethea in his arms, was trying not to laugh Nico was doing a very poor job of it. Will urged him enthusiastically, “You pick, Nico. Considering that I’m wearing your clothes you must have a good sense of fashion.” Nico groaned as he turned to the rack this time.

Nico prayed to himself he found something actually useful. Nothing too colorful or bright. He scanned through the hangers quickly until he found something dark. He was pretty sure Will was between a medium and large so he grabbed the large dark green fleece jacket with faux fur around the rim of the hood. Then he walked away as the rest of the party followed him.

Nico was standing at the cash register paying for the jackets when he felt Alethea tugging at his leg. She often did that back at Percy’s apartment to get his attention. He didn’t know why she was so fixated on him, aside from the fact that he didn’t lie.

“Nico,” she moaned as she pushed some mittens and scarves up towards him.

“Alethea!” he heard Will hiss and saw him peeking with Travis hidden behind some clothing racks to get her to come back to him. Nico wondered how he was the youngest of them, excluding Alethea, and yet he was the more mature one in all this. Nico took the gloves, mittens and scarves and added it to his purchase. When he pulled out a black credit card he heard a whistle of appreciation. He figured that was Travis.

“Thank you, have a nice day!” the lady at the cash register said as he signed the receipt and exchanged it for the bag of purchases from her.

Alethea followed Nico to the door as Will and Travis rushed over. At first it was a skipping kind of excited walk and then it slowed into an uncertain shy kind. With her hands held behind her back she bashfully looked up at him through her black lashes.

Smiling Nico knelt down, ignored as Will and Travis made a show of tripping over themselves to get to them, and then promptly stopped smiling. Alethea looked confused and then smiled at him. He nodded, seeing that she had recovered from her uncertainness about receiving clothes from him.

Nico had already untied the makeshift sweater he’d made her wear with his scarf when the two finally reached them. He took off the tags and helped Alethea put on her jacket, then took the reddish maroon scarf and wrapped it around her neck. He helped her into her gloves then watched her beam at him with a now confident smile.

“Thank you,” she said. He nodded before standing up.

“Here.” Nico shoved the store bag to Will.

“What, you’re not going to help me put on my jacket?” Will smiled at him playfully. Then he had the audacity to wink too. Nico fought the urge to flick him in the eye and turned around.

When they walked about five blocks away from the store, Travis asked whether or not they could just take a taxi back to camp. Nico thought about it but shook his head. Will shook his head in agreement with Nico.

“If we got attacked we’ll be putting a normal person in danger,” Will explained to Travis. None of them could afford involving an unaffiliated person in their quest.

“Well it’s been over an hour and we’ve only made it maybe ten blocks from Percy’s apartment,” Travis said as they crossed the street. That progress didn’t look so good considering they’d been in a rush earlier. “I’m pretty sure a car is a good choice to take.” Travis shivered from the cold as he inched closer to Nico. “Also it will probably take over a day to get there by foot.”

Travis was right about that. Not that Nico had ever had to worry about how long it took him anywhere really, he usually went at his own pace. Children of Hades didn’t go on quests, they just did what was necessary to get to what they want. It was probably arrogant to travel with the mindset that the ends justified the means, something he learned a long time ago.

“Where are we going to get the money to pay the fare, exactly, Travis?” Will asked next, taking Nico out of his dark thoughts. Nico chose to ignore the argument as he continued walking, keeping the sea to his right even if he couldn’t see it.

“Shut up and keep walking,” Nico finally snapped at the two falling behind him.

Alethea was walking in pace to him, although it seemed she was just having fun jumping into the snow. She didn’t seem quite satisfied with the snow but it seemed she made do with what she got to play with. Which was much more than he could say about the two behind him.

“But-” the two said at the same time. Nico turned around and glared at them.

“We’re taking the subway halfway there,” Nico growled at them. “Now if you two _children_ don’t mind.” Nico figured the dark would help keep him at ease, and the rank from the subway should be enough to disorient their scent from any pursuers for a while. He couldn’t risk getting into a car since that required driving while being pursued. No one wanted to end up like Percy’s first experience fleeing a monster in a car. Being on the news meant being noticed, and as much as the Mist helped it also tended to screw up “normal” lives as it is.

The two gave up and followed him to the subway station.


	7. The Support of Travel

Will felt like throttling Travis. He swore if he survived this quest he was going to tell the entire Ares cabin that the Stoll brothers boasted they could steal everything from their cabin without being noticed. Will wished he could move so he could smack Travis in the face for giggling uncontrollably at him.

“So, what’s up Daddy Will?” Travis chuckled. He sat confidently in the opposite seat from Will. He was sprawled out in the almost empty seating, and he obviously didn’t realize how handsome he was because it wasn’t Will the girls in the other end of the subway train were staring at.

“Wondering if I can convince Clarisse to tie you up on Thalia’s tree the beginning of this summer,” Will smiled.

“Tell me again why we’re still at Camp Half-Blood?” Travis asked. It sounded like a random question with the way Travis rolled his eyes, but Will sensed it wasn’t. Of course he didn’t have much time to think on that considering he was sandwiched into his seat.

Will tried not to jump up as Nico’s head fell from off Will’s shoulder. He caught Nico before the power-napping genuis slammed into Alethea who was using his lap as a pillow. Will wrapped an arm around Nico and secured Nico to his side, letting Nico use his shoulder as a pillow again.

“Never mind.” Travis chuckled as he leaned forward with his elbows to his knees. “So have you kissed him yet?”

“Why would I kiss Nico?” Will asked him instead.

Travis leaned back, his arms spread over the back of the seat. “Come on, Will.” Will really didn’t know what he was saying. “You flirt with the guy every time he comes back to camp.” Now Will _really_ didn’t know what he meant. Since when did he flirt with Nico? “You put him through three days in the infirmary with you, you rush back to the infirmary even when you’re off duty if he comes back. You sit with him and tell jokes…” Travis let his voice fade.

Will suddenly felt a chill go through him. That was flirting? Travis nodded. “Yeah, you were _that_ obvious, dude.”

“Or maybe I’m the only person who actually wants Nico to feel welcomed at camp?” Will suggested. There were few people who didn’t freak out with how stealthily Nico could creep up on someone. There were few people who bothered to make Nico feel welcome as the first child of Hades at camp. “And you and Connor need to shut up about this already, alright?” Will really wished he could move but he had Alethea to his right and Nico leaning against him on his left. Both were also dead asleep too.

Will then realize the cold he was feeling wasn’t from the weather in the subway train. Crap.

“We’re not going to,” Travis responded without looking at him at all. Apparently he was noticing the two girls looking at them. He hoped the Mist was making the weapons they had with them look like band instruments or something. “Come on, we’re your bros.”

“No, you aren’t,” Will insisted. Will really wanted to smack Travis. “How would you feel if I asked whether you or Connor have decided to ask out Katie Gardner? Or if she preferred Connor over you.”

Travis made a face of disgust as he pointed a glare at him. “First of all, NO!” Travis pointed at him. “Just…” it looked as though he struggled for another word to say and then, “NO!” Will would have feigned an innocent shrug but he couldn’t. “Katie Gardner?” Travis asked with a tone of disbelief. He ran his hand through his hair exhaustedly. “I mean… that’s the girl you would see me with?”

In less than ten seconds Travis had gone through a series of expressions pertaining to disbelief, shock and denial.

“You’re a good-looking guy,” Will said noncommittally. It sounded wrong enough to say it at all. He brought up his right hand and scratched the back of his head. Yeah it felt awkward. “I mean, well you haven’t gotten a girlfriend yet. Connor’s at least gone out with one of the Aphrodite girls.” Although he could see why no one would want to date Aphrodite’s children. Piper McLean was a safe bet but no one would dare try to flirt with Jason Grace’s girlfriend.

“You saying there’s something wrong with being single?” Travis gave Will a look that basically said don’t say yes. He looked away instead because it was getting increasingly colder. “I mean, what if I like guys?” Travis insisted loudly. Will made a dramatic turn of his head to look at the two girls. “And girls?” he added for benefit. Will turned back to Travis just as he saw the girls whispering to each other. “Or, maybe I don’t like anyone at all? Like… Like Athena!”

“You’re a virgin goddess?” Will asked him. He really could not see that. Will cleared his throat nervously as he tried to enlighten his confused friend. “Travis, you are a good-looking guy telling your good friend here that you are like a virgin goddess.”

Travis groaned as he leaned onto his elbows and put his face in his hands. “I don’t know, Will,” Travis grumbled. With a heavy sigh he put his hands down and kept his head hung.

“Travis, man, I’m a healer but…” Will didn’t know what to say. Travis looked lost and hurt and Will was not expecting that from someone constantly pulling pranks and making jokes. Then, Will realized that while Connor had gone home after the summer—and only briefly returned for winter break—that Travis hadn’t gone home this year. 

* * *

 

Nico had been awake for some time. He’d woken up when he felt himself cuddle up to Will, only to realize he was actually cuddling up to him. Then he slowly got angrier hearing the conversation between Travis Stoll and Will Solace.

While they continued talking, Nico realized Will probably forgot about the kiss. He got even angrier. He got that Will was probably mostly delirious from his wounds or really stupid from getting his head bashed so he didn’t remember, but a kiss like that was almost impossible to forget. At least to Nico, and at this moment he was starting to drown in self-hate… and a lot of self-pity.

Will shook him and he moved as if waking up. Nico grabbed the backpack borrowed from Percy and stood up. Only he stood up too fast. He tried to calm his stomach which was churning as if he’d drunk the water from the River Styx and it was now burning a black hole in his stomach. Although he couldn’t tell if he was having a head rush or if he was just angry.

When he finally stepped off the subway he found Travis holding a sleeping Alethea in his arm, and it looked as if he and Will were arguing about who to hold her. Nico made his way over only to see Travis push his backpack at Will.

“You’re still healing so shut up and put the wrapping thing on us so I can carry her,” Travis ordered. He unzipped his jacket as they ignored the few stares they received from mothers and teens walking by. Travis shrugged off his jacket one arm at a time while switching the arm that held Alethea. Will spent that time grumbling as he searched the contents of Travis’ backpack.

He watched as Will pulled out a long black cloth. Then saw that the cloth was connected to a large red rectangle with some very odd triangle, swirly, designs. Nico was certain he’d seen a similar design before, he just wasn’t sure where. It was in his memory but he couldn’t quite recall. He traveled a lot and he’d seen glimpses here and there but he never bothered to really pay attention. Most time it was because he shadow-traveled to the wrong spot.

Travis swung Alethea onto his back, holding her up and bending forward as Will put the red rectangle on Alethea’s back. Then he put her arms over the two cloth connected to the top of the rectangle and pulled the black cloth over Travis’ shoulder. Travis took the cloth and crisscrossed them over his chest, wrapping the ends around his waist and under Alethea’s knees. Will helped him wrap the cloth under the bottom of the cloth and under Alethea’s bottom like a makeshift seat and back around Travis’ waist to the front of him. Then Travis tied the loose ends into a secured knot.

“You just made a baby carrier,” Nico said, he tried not to sound sarcastic but he did. He was certain at this point he’d seen the design before. The two guys looked at each other, made a face as they ‘ah’ and ‘oh’ each other. Apparently neither thought of what the wrapping-thing’s purpose actually was.

Instead of saying the obvious Nico pointed out instead, “Alethea’s seven years old.”

Nico was already wondering why Will kept calling her “baby” and now they were treating her like an actual baby. He watched as Travis shrugged his winter jacket back on, which was pretty difficult with Alethea acting like his back hump. Travis grumbled when he found that his jacket would only zip up to his chest.

“Fern said it was one of the things she wanted to take with her,” Will explained as they started moving again. Will was now carrying Travis’ blue backpack. They mixed into the crowd without sensing anything wrong.

“Where is this?” Travis asked as he looked around for a sign.

“New Haven Union Station,” Nico answered before Will answered. He looked around trying to see if they were being followed.

“Sense something?” Will asked.

“I’m not using my ‘Underworld-y stuff’ if you’re asking,” Nico answered tersely. He didn’t bother with his tone since he was still not happy about what he found out on the subway. He scanned the people as they stepped into the street. When he turned his gaze back to Will and Travis he saw the two of them just staring at him. “What?” he finally asked.

“Why are you angry?” Will asked him.

“Why would I be?”

Travis answered this time. “Because you don’t normally say stuff that actually involves being in an actual conversation with anyone.” Nico clutched his fist for a minute to calm himself from actually punching Travis in the jaw. There was also the fact that he was carrying Alethea on his back and had her strapped to him.

Will punched Travis on the arm. “Where next, leader?” Will asked him instead. Will was forcing a smile and it seemed he felt guilty about something. Nico rolled his eyes and tried to find the sea. He figured it should be on his right side as he started walking eastward.

They walked silently for a good twenty minutes when he stopped by a vendor in the street.

“You’re hungry?” Will came up next to him as Nico finished ordering the soft pretzels from the man.

Nico tried not to prickle over the fact that Will was asking if he actually ate. He did eat, but he wasn’t really bothered whether or not he ate.

Nico paid the man with the cash he had in his wallet. He handed Will the first two and took the other two. They walked back to where Travis was waiting and handed Travis the one he had in his left hand.

“She’s still sleeping,” Travis said as he took the pretzel. He looked for a moment and asked, “No cheese?”

Nico pointed into the wrapper over the pretzel. The vendor had left the container of cheese inside the wrapper of the pretzel. As they stood around eating Nico tried to figure out the best way to get back to Camp Half-Blood. They could had stayed on the subway but he’d worried whether staying all the way until Mystic Amtrak was going to put them in the greater danger. It was smarter to change as many possible ways to travel. Like running in different directions to elude someone chasing you in the woods.

 _Mystic_ Amtrak sounded just a little took closely related to the gods. Nico would rather not take his chances since Alethea would be in danger as well.

It was just past noon so Nico figured they had some time. At least if they decided to go by foot it wouldn’t take an entire day. Maybe just four-fifths of it.

“The fourth one isn’t for her,” Nico said as he took the other one from Will’s hand. He walked away after telling them to stay where they were. 

* * *

 

Will watched Nico retreat into some alley way with the fourth pretzel. He was starting to feel bothered with the fact that Nico was buying everything. First the jackets, then the subway fare and now pretzels. Granted, Will didn’t mind having to steal things but he preferred not stealing.

Will and Travis ate their pretzels silently when Nico came back to them. Nico’s pretzel was gone and by the time Will and Travis threw away the papers in the trash Nico was already approaching.

“Where’d you go?” Will asked him. He would like to put as much distance from Percy’s apartment and whatever monsters chased them.

Nico shrugged. “I got some information.” That was all he said as he started walking. They followed. “We’re taking a bus,” Nico said as they kept walking to no place in particular.

“So, where are we going exactly?”

“There’s a bus called the _Pegasi Line_ ,” explained Nico as they kept walking. They crossed a street and rushed to keep up with Nico. “The guy I talked to said it was around here.” Will was confused until they entered some alleyway. It didn’t look like somewhere any of them should be in broad daylight. There was a bald man with a tattoo on his head… of a skull. He wore leather and sat on a motorcycle. There were several motorcycles, actually.

“Hey,” Nico greeted the man. The man just looked at him for a bit, sizing him up. He was huge and made even Will feel small despite being the same height, but Nico didn’t even falter.

“What you looking for kid? This ain’t no cannabis joint,” the buff, angry looking bald man glared at Nico.

Nico’s eyebrow twitched, and Will had a feeling the guy didn’t even realize he had a twitch. Nico turned fully to face the man.

“I’m looking for Tat,” Nico said, his voice cold as ice. It seemed he was used to being judged by his size, but if people actually saw what was under the clothes they wouldn’t judge him so much. Nico was well-formed and muscular, but the clothes he always wore hid all that, which gave everyone the wrong impression because he had fair skin and dark hair.

“Who’s looking?”

Nico’s finger was tapping steadily again. It looked like he also did that often as a way to measure his own anger.

“Hades,” Nico replied finally after a stretch of silence. The man’s bushy eyebrows lifted up in shock, he then stumbled off the motorcycle and rushed inside the metal door while fumbling with his keys to open it. The man dropped his keys and started pounding on the door and then picked up his keys. He pounded even harder, taking a glance of Nico standing with his legs slightly parted and his arms folded over his chest. The man shouted for someone to open the door and then found the key for the lock and opened the door himself. They watched as the man slammed into the person who was just about to open the door for him, the door quickly being shut after that.

“What was that?” Will asked the same time as Travis went, “Man that was awesome!”

A tall man ran out the door next, red hair braided loosely behind his back. He looked worried and searched around until his eyes landed on Nico. Then he seemed to relax and stepped down the porch of the alleyway towards them.

“And just who are you?” the redhead who was about two inches taller than Will grumbled at Nico. He didn’t look happy to see them.

Nico’s finger tapped on. _Tick. Tock._

“Nico di Angelo.”

“Tat,” the man replied. He put his hands in the pockets of his black jeans. “What can I do for you and how do you know the King?”

Travis stared at Will with wide eyes. Will gave him a slight nod to calm him down. Now was not the time to freak out over the god of the Underworld being called “the King”, and Will had no intention of asking about it.

Nico suddenly smiled. Well, more like smirked. “Which king would that be?” he asked Tat.

“There’s only _one_ King.”

Nico lifted a dark eyebrow at Tat. “I’m known as the Ghost King. So, again, which king?” Nico asked the man in measured words. Tat looked mildly confused until Nico summoned a few skeletons from under the concrete around them.

“Ok, just who are you, kid?” Tat finally asked him.

“Don’t play with me son of Hephaestus,” Nico replied as the skeletons returned underground. “I hear you know about the Pegasi Line.”

“A son of Hades, I see.” Tat mocked a bow to Nico and then grinned. “Exactly what do you want to know?”

“How to get on it.”

Tat shook his head. “The Pegasi is very expensive. You don’t pay with money or jewels or gold.” Nico waited instead of asking. Will was mostly just scared out of his mind. It was very rare to meet an adult demigod.

“What do you pay with?” Travis asked.

“Depends how far you want to go.”

“To New London.”

“Connecticut?”

“Don’t question why. Just tell me what is required for four passengers,” Nico cut the chatter. The way Tat’s eyes seemed to glisten red made Will want to run. Yet Nico seemed almost unaffected by Tat’s analyzing eyes, it was the way Tat carefully studied Nico just as Jake Mason used to study his handiworks in the forge.

As he observed the situation where he stood, Will started to realize that Nico spent a lot of time traveling and knew how to get the information he sought, but wondered why he never went on quests on his own. Even bringing the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood had been considered more of a mission than a quest, and if anything Reyna’s goal whereas Nico had decided to give her the help she needed.

 It was still odd. Even before the last two wars, he’d never heard of a child of Hades going on a quest sanctioned by the Oracle. Everyone heard of why in the past the Big Three didn’t have children at the same time and swore off mortal children, but Hades had saved Nico di Angelo. Nico even brought back to life his half-sister Hazel. Poseidon had Percy, and Zeus had Thalia and Jason. The five of them seemed to live relatively well… Aside from Thalia wanting to bash in most of the guy’s heads anyways, but it still seemed like none of them were going to start a civil war anytime soon.

Tat thought for a moment. His hand went to his chin beard while he stroke the mass of red curls. “Well, maybe not too much,” Tat shrugged. “Bellerophon wouldn’t ask much more than a tale or two.”

“Bellerophon?” Travis gaped. Will looked at Travis. “Wait, _the_ Bellerophon?” Travis stepped up. Tat nodded with quiet rigidness. “I thought he died.” Will was still trying to remember the story.

“That’s what everyone thought, but no.” Tat shrugged it off. “The gods didn’t make him immortal, but he looks like he’s only in his forties. He’s cursed to live a very long life.”

“Traveling the world as no one will help him for his offense to the gods,” Nico recounted part of the story. He unfolded his arms. “A son of Poseidon.”

“How old is the guy?”

“Very old,” Tat surmised. Then it looked like he actually thought about it. Will looked away for a moment, trying hard to press the correct image to Bellerophon’s age from his mind. “He’ll still be around after you are dead.” Tat nodded after he apparently finished imagining disturbing images of aged bodies in his own head. “He’s a sad old man.”

“Why kind of tales does he want?” Nico asked.

Tat shrugged. “When I asked him for help he’d asked me for a tale on one of my quests and some new clothes.”

Nico made a face of anger. Tat shrugged as if he understood why Nico looked angry. When Tat gave them the directions, which wasn’t really hard, he left with a good wish to their quest.

“Any bus stop,” Will mumbled with thought.

“We just have to call for Pegasi Line.” Nico nodded and led them out of the alleyway. Will fought back the desire to ask Nico how he knew where to find Tat, how he knew about Tat, and why Nico was so used to handling big old guys with tattoos on their bald heads.

They found a bus stop at the end of the block. All three of them stood together and shouted for the Pegasi Line. Nothing happened and with the people staring at them, Will felt ridiculous. They shouted together again but still nothing.

Will growled. He should have thought to wake up Alethea so she could tell whether or not Tat had lied. Just because the man was a Greek demigod didn’t mean he was good willed.


	8. Surprise Travel Style

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellerophon arrives with a very surprising way to pay for their travel. What else? The little "guy talk" between Will and Travis continues... or does it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, yeah so... I apologize for whatever you feel at the end of this chapter. What I figured I'll write for this chapter was really interesting but I'm not sure many of you would like it. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I waited since chapter 1 for this moment.

Bellerophon was in a yellow school bus with a white pegasus painted on each side of it. Nico would have thought that it wasn’t much but then Bellerophon had appeared out of nowhere so he thought it better not to say anything.

“Someone called?” Bellerophon greeted them solemnly with not much interest as they rushed up the steps.

Nico took a moment to realize Bellerophon sat in a wheelchair, only now remembering that when Bellerophon had survived the fall he’d lost the use of his legs with it. He cast his eyes back to Bellerophon’s eyes quickly.

“It’s been twenty minutes,” Nico grumbled. It wasn’t that he mind waiting, it was the fact that it took so long for Bellerophon to get to them.

“I’ve got other customers,” Bellerophon snapped. A look at the empty bus told Nico no one rode in it often. “Now tell me your names and where you want to go.”

“New London, Connecticut,” Nico answered immediately. The fact that they were in a rush to elude monsters made the matter more pressing. “Nico di Angelo,” he quickly introduced himself, then Will behind him, then Travis and Alethea just behind Will.

“What’s your emergency?” Bellerophon asked. He really didn’t seem like a nice guy, and Nico was not in the mood for it. He looked a lot like Chiron, only he had black hair hidden underneath an old baseball cap with a pegasus on it. It might also be the fact that Chiron’s wheelchair wasn’t actually used because he couldn’t use his legs. Bellerophon’s legs were thin, as if he was all skin and skeleton down past his thighs.

“Hello?” Bellerophon grumbled at him.

Nico snapped out of his thoughts. That was rude and he knew being rude was not the best way to ask for help… or customer service.

“Sorry. We’re being chased by monsters.”

Bellerophon scoffed. “Obviously. Aren’t all demigods?”

“Well yes,” Nico answered. He thought about it some more. It wouldn’t do to tell him that they were on a quest. Tat had said that Bellerophon would likely ask for a tale or two. “We need to get to get to New London. That’s all we’re asking.” Nico thought some more.

“Yes, yes, I heard you the first time!” Bellerophon snapped. He really wasn’t what Nico was expecting. He was supposed to be a pretty awesome hero—until his offense against the gods. Still. He was all bad breath and grumpy. “New London, Connecticut. Pay the fare,” Bellerophon closed the door with the handle pulley. He pointed to some strange contraception of celestial bronze on Nico’s right. It looked like a card scanner.

Nico stared at it a few more seconds.

“Well come on!” Bellerophon shouted. “Put your hand on the scanner!” He grabbed Nico’s hand and slammed the palm over the scanner. Nico felt his eyes widen as something hot and scorching ran through his palm like acid. He felt it go through his right hand to his heart and up into his brain and burn his eye sockets. He fought back the tears and he gasped for breath. It—whatever _it_ was—was looking for something. Something Nico guarded inside his heart, in the back of his mind, in darkness. Nico fought it but the more he did the more painful it felt.

“Don’t fight it, kid,” Bellerophon grumbled as he lifted his hand away from Nico. “It’ll scan you for the appropriate fare to New London, Connecticut.”

Nico felt his knees weaken. He still fought it. It was a sharper pain than he’d felt in a long time. Like needles coursing through his very veins and poking out.

“Nico?” Will stepped closer to him.

“No, don’t!” Nico gasped as Will touched his shoulder. Nico felt himself collapse onto his knees as the scanner abruptly stopped and was no longer searching. Nico gasped for breath but he couldn’t pull himself up.

“Payment for two,” the scanner belched. “Next!”

“Hm, that rarely happens,” Bellerophon mumbled as he leaned over and stared at the scanner’s screen. “What tale did you give my scanner, son of Hades?” Bellerophon leaned over his wheelchair to stare at Nico gasping for breath.

“Alethea,” Nico gasped. “The second payment.”

“You gave my scanner enough for two so that little demigod didn’t have to pay?” Bellerophon questioned. He looked mildly confused.

Nico stumbled when Will pulled him up. He felt the heat from Will’s hands rush through him and he shivered. He grabbed the front seat and crashed into it before he could lower himself to sit on it. Nico just waved Will away when he tried to straighten him. He yawned and knew he was going to sleep soon—very soon.

* * *

 

Will watched Nico close his eyes, falling asleep before he could even sit up properly. He was sprawled over the bus seat and didn’t bother sitting up. Will glared at the screen of Bellerophon’s scanner. He frowned.

“What is it?” Will asked. Obviously, Nico hadn’t had the chance to question what the machine was but Will was deft enough to keep any part of him away from it. Bellerophon seemed to have guessed that.

“Pay the fare, kid,” Bellerophon responded in a deeper voice than earlier. It sounded like his true voice, a young voice, and one filled with darkness. All he had to do was open his mouth and talk and Will could feel it. It was a colder kind of darkness, one that fed on Bellerophon. It was different from the kind of darkness that tried to engulf Nico when Will touched him.

“What. Is. It.” Will repeated angrily.

Bellerophon sighed. “Whoever told you about my business should have told you how I get my fare.” He tapped a finger to his bronze scanner. “This baby here takes a story from you.”

“A story?”

“A story.”

“What kind of story?”

“Any,” Bellerophon shrugged. “I’ve lived a long life and have been cursed to travel this ugly world in long old age,” he grumbled tiredly. His sea-green eyes turned from them to the windshield and stared out at the streets of New Haven. His gaze was far away and gone. “I cannot run, cannot walk, I cannot ride ever again. How I live and handle this ugly cursed life of mine is through the stories you demigods hold in your heart and in your memories. The things you see with your very own eyes.”

“Tat said he gave you new clothes.”

Bellerophon sighed audibly. “I cannot leave this bus.”

Will and Travis stared at each other. Travis then asked the question Will didn’t want to ask, “Not even to…?” He didn’t finish. Bellerophon just groaned a yes for them immediately.

“Tat said you wouldn’t ask for more than a tale or two,” Will brought up the words he remembered.

Bellerophon chuckled as he shook his head at them. “That boy there,” Bellerophon pointed at Nico, “He fought the scanner and my baby took a story from him worth two people. That is rarely, if never, done by most children of gods. If my scanner does not accept your fare, you must pay me with something else. That is what Tat did, because he had to take two on broad but his tale was only worth one.”

“What about the second person?”

Bellerophon clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Why do you think that boy does not return to Camp Half-Blood?”

Will had pegged Tat to be near his mid-thirties. If Tat had been legendary then someone would have whispered word of him around the camp.

“The second person died…” Will whispered. Bellerophon nodded solemnly. As cold as he seemed apparently Bellerophon’s heart still melted from such stories. “What story did you take from Nico?” Will asked, eyeing Nico who was dead asleep to the world.

“Something he did not wish to tell,” Bellerophon said as he leaned back in his wheelchair. He turned himself to the steering wheel. “Now get on with it,” he waved at them.

Will cautiously put his palm over the scanner. He cried out and gasped for breath as some hot acid-like prong wriggled its way through his arm and towards his heart. He bit his lip from shouting out more but felt the sting of tears in his eyes. He felt the way the prong wormed through him and sought something. Will began to panic.

“Will, you’re fighting it,” Travis said as he stepped closer to him.

Will held his hand out to keep Travis from touching him. “It’s looking for something else,” Will gasped out loud. He felt his entire body tense, a part of him putting up walls and guarding itself. It felt more than just scanning him for a story, it was looking for a specific one. A tale, a secret, a truth hidden in Will.

“Grah!” Will nearly collapsed as his grip left the scanner. He breathed heavily for several moments. “Seriously?” He shuttered as he stood on slightly wobbly legs. “It gave me all that trouble just to look for the Battle of Manhattan?”

Bellerophon touched a few buttons on the bus and then picked up an iPad and looked through a few things. Then he put the iPad back in his bag hung on a hook behind him.

He told Will as he waved Travis to the scanner, “It gave up looking for your story. Seems you haven’t actually finish it yet.” Travis yelped then jumped back all of a sudden.

“Look at that, you have a lot of stories, don’t you?” Bellerophon laughed.

“Payment for fifty,” the scanner belched.

Bellerophon’s eyes widened. He grinned. “I should have expected that from a son of Hermes.” He waved the two into the back of the bus. “Next stop: New London, Connecticut!” Suddenly the bus zoomed through the street in a speed Will couldn’t even guess.

Travis had enough time to sit down on a seat but Will was struggling just to stay on his feet. He tripped in the small black aisle as he heard Bellerophon roar with laughter. The evil creep.

Will grabbed the feet of a seat, and struggled to hold on as the bus zoomed through the sky.

Once it felt like they were finally stabilizing in the air, Will hastily pulled himself up and rushed to the front seats where Travis and Nico each sat. He grabbed Nico who apparently had fallen onto the floor and pulled Nico’s heavy body up. He sat Nico up against the window and sat on the aisle side in the same seat. He spared a glance at Travis struggling to undo the baby carrier and set Alethea down.

“We will touch down in ten minutes,” Bellerophon shouted to them. “Where do you want to be set at New London?”

“Closest to the bridge!” Will shouted back. “By the Thames River!”

“Gotcha!”

Will sighed as he leaned his forehead against the top of the bus seat. Nico suddenly shifted and fell against Will’s shoulder. He sat up straight, sighing with exhaustion as he wrapped his arm around Nico and tucked the guy into his side.

Somehow he wished he survived this quest intact with his sanity. At least survive to tell someone to kill him. Clarisse La Rue might actually be up for that, but he heard she wasn’t returning for the upcoming summer.

Not even five minutes later he received an iris message when a rainbow glinted through the window. When he accepted the message he was surprised that it was Percy.

He told them Fern had been angry to find they took Alethea with them. It was Fern’s responsibility, he was repeating. Will and Travis stifled their laughter when they heard Fern bellowing from the room Jason was using.

Then Percy said that Fern was getting ready to go after them. Will and Travis looked at each other nervously. Percy assured them that regardless Fern would not reach Camp Half-Blood until tomorrow at dawn and it was best if they got there before then.

“Looks like Percy’s doing his best to stop Fern,” Travis noted. He had Alethea sleeping in his lap, and his free hand held up against the bus seat like Will. Neither of them wanted to have their face slammed into the seat of the bus.

Will waved the iris message away when all it did was pause with the image of Percy staring at them. He sighed heavily and leaned his head left and right to take the crank and tension out of his neck.

“So,” Travis grinned at him. Will glared back. He did not like the smile on Travis’ face. “Have you kissed him yet?”

Will kicked Travis’s leg closest to him. He glanced at Bellerophon who obviously heard it but didn’t bother showing an interest in their conversation. Will leaned a little out into the aisle and hissed, “Exactly when did I have the time to kiss him between the subway and here?”

“Who said I was talking about Nico di Angelo?” Travis whispered with a smile.

“In what other context would you bring anyone else up?” Will softly growled.

Travis smiled.

Will smacked Travis on the arm. “Stop bringing it up.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t ask you if you’ve kissed _him_ yet,” Will whispered angrily.

Travis didn’t make a shocked face or even an innocent one. He made a very embarrassed one, blushing deep red. He turned and sat back in his seat properly, keeping his face cast downwards. Will then realize the reason why Will had stayed at camp and the reason why he and Connor kept asking Will about his experience with a guy—mainly Nico.

“Shut up,” Travis grumbled before Will could ask him anything. “Just don’t say anything. I know I’m very obvious.” Travis put his hand holding the bus seat to his face. He was trying to cover his blush but his entire face and his neck was turning red.

“Uh…” Will paused for a minute in thought. “Um…” Will couldn’t find the right words to say. “Well, if it makes you feel better I don’t actually know who ‘he’ is,” Will finally stumbled to say. It was the weakest way anyone could comfort a friend.

“I told you to shut up, Solace,” Travis mumbled through the palm of his hand. “So just forget any of this happened.”

“But…” Will weakly tried to argue but closed his mouth instead. “Okay.” If he was a friend he wouldn’t push Travis to give him an answer. When Travis felt like saying or telling he would. Although Will couldn’t promise he knew much of anything about guys in that area the best he could do was to listen.


	9. Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies to all and anyone who gets confused with this chapter.

Nico was drifting. It was dark, no lights in the sky. Then he wondered if there was an up or a down, because he couldn’t see anything. He was used to this. He’d been in this far too long. The shadows…

And then he heard a voice. A tiny, trembling voice shuttering. “A child of truth…” the voice repeated. “A child of truth in… a pool of lies…” the voice sounded confused. Then it mumbled more confidently, “A child of truth in pools of lies.”

Nico tried to open his eyes but he couldn’t. This was a dream. He relinquished himself to it for a moment, only to then grasp hold of who and what he was. A surge of will swelling up in him.

He growled to himself angrily. “I am Nico di Angelo, king of ghosts, son of Hades the master of dreams!” Nico felt a sort of relief when he finally opened his eyes, but then a sense of dread as he saw a thick mist around him. It was a fog, really. He turned and turned but couldn’t find a road. It was like he’d released himself from one prison only to put himself under the sharp blade of an ax. Nico could see that he was in a thick forest, could feel there was some sort of valley somewhere but didn’t know why he would know that.

 

_A child of truth in pools of lies,_

_The angel’s promise to hold the ties._

_The strength of will alone to heal,_

_What lies broke a single choice will seal._

 

Nico turned when he heard the prophecy repeated by the mysterious shuttering voice. He turned again and again each time the prophecy was said. The voice was getting stronger, more confident, more powerful…

He knew this voice. Whose voice was it?

Nico took a step forward, in which ever way he was facing, only to hear another voice tell him to stop. It was the same voice… but that voice was still repeating the prophecy.

Nico didn’t dare turn around or move. Two voices, both from the same person, in different directions…

The voice repeating the prophecy then said, “Nico! Hurry!” Nico shivered. He was starting to recall whose voice that belonged to.

He also remembered that a cyclops could mimic voices.

“No, Nico! Don’t go!”

Nico felt himself chill to the bone. He couldn’t tell which voice was the real Alethea. The one in front of him who started repeating the prophecy again, or the voice behind him urging him to not go forward.

“Nico!” the voice behind him screamed desperately. It sounded like she was being dragged away. He turned around to rush towards her, only to have the mist dissipate and disorient him.

Nico held his breath, afraid of what he might have led her into. Alethea was a child of Apollo, therefore she was precognizant in some varying way. Did that mean she could connect in dreams? He didn’t know how she was here. He couldn’t even tell if this was his dream she’d stepped into or if he’d stepped into her dream.

What he saw before him was a forest. A forest with no actual road. He looked around but could find no trail, nothing to give him a lead. He felt his heart still. In moments like this people panic, their heart raced, maybe even start running around frantically. At this precise moment Nico was in a state of panic, but he felt unusually calm. Like he’d been here before.

This was a dream but it wasn’t like most dreams. Most dreams were slightly unclear. This was not just a dream, it was a realm. A realm Nico felt familiar and unfamiliar with. It was like…

“It’s a gateway to the Underworld.” Nico stopped in his tracks. The voice behind him was his father’s. Something told him not to turn around to look. “Don’t turn around. You’ll wake up if you come back this way.” Nico nodded.

“This is a dream.”

“Yes and no,” his father answered. Nico waited for more explanation, it didn’t come for another minute or so. “This is the realm between dreams and spirits. This is how some humans travel to the Judgment Pavilion.”

“I thought living humans couldn’t…?” Nico almost turned to question his father but a hand suddenly held him from behind, forcing his head to look forward.

“Do remember the story of Orpheus and Eurydice,” his father whispered into his ear. Nico nodded. Eurydice was pulled back to the Underworld because Orpheus turned around to look at her too soon. Many thought it was because he looked at Eurydice, but it was because he turned to look at what already belonged to the Underworld before they could return to the world of the living. “I need you to bring that girl back.” The unspoken words were not ‘to me’. It was ‘with you’.

“How can she…” Nico tried to ask, but stopped himself. She was claimed to be a child of Apollo, so it was impossible to believe she was another sister.

“She’s a legacy, from a very old line,” Hades said as he moved away from Nico’s back. “I have to go now. Her innate power to travel between the Underworld and the human world is awakened with my nephew’s blood.”

“Wait!” Nico shouted. He felt his father still lingering behind him. “How powerful is she?” Not to mention she was the first demigod legacy on the Greek side to be heard of.

His father chuckled behind him. “Her only ability concerning my line is the ability to travel between realms spiritually. Her people would call her a shaman. Good luck on your quest, son.” Then his father was gone and Nico raced forward. He could hear his father’s voice lingering in his mind, words that didn’t need to be said but was there: “don’t lose her soul.”

He covered his eyes as a burst of light changed the scene. Peeking out from between his arms he found Alethea standing in a field of yellow flowers. Her long black hair waving in the wind, and she stared up from beneath the valley into the sky.

“Alethea!” Nico shouted to her. He slowly made his way down the valley towards her. “ALETHEA!”

She couldn’t hear him. It was a sunny day, although it had looked cold and damp in the forest—almost foreboding. When Nico finally reached her he called out to her one more time.

Then she repeated the lines of the prophecy. Her eyes were focused on something besides the clear sky. “The angel’s promise to hold the ties…” She shivered. “A child of truth in pools of lies.” She was saying the prophecy backwards. “A child of truth…” she repeated then halted, gasping almost as her round eyes widened even larger. “A child of truth,” her brown eyes looked straight at Nico staring down at her. “A child of truth…” she repeated, but this time more frightened. “A child of truth…” she started to whimper. “NO!” she screamed. It was that deafening screech again.

Nico put his hands to his ears and winced as the entire dream broke apart. He saw spirits standing at the top of the valley. A long serpent like dragon, like the ones from Chinese folk stories, soaring in the sky making a sort of figure eight. Beneath them was darkness. The valley was falling apart.

Alethea clutched to her head and crouched down to her knees shaking her head. “A child of truth…” she cried. “A child of truth!”

Nico kneeled down in front of her. The ghosts were all looming above them, staring down at Nico and Alethea. Then he saw the one who was most solid, the least transparent one. Although they were all dressed in clothes Nico didn’t recognize, Nico knew who that man was. The one standing in solid form, staring with his dark eyes and long shaggy hair flowing in the wind. He was dressed like some kind of warrior, with a strange short bow and quiver of arrows on his back. At his waist with a red cloth sash tied against his silk-like black trouser was an old looking long knife in a makeshift wooden shaft.

The man opened his mouth to speak but it was in a language Nico didn’t understand. He shook his head. The man paused for a moment and finally spoke in ancient Greek. He called Nico his brother, and then it was certain as Nico started to see the similarities between Hades and the man.

“Alethea, it’s time to leave,” Nico whispered to her. That was what Alethea’s ancestor, Nico’s long dead brother, was telling them. To leave. “You’ll be lost if we don’t go now.” Nico grabbed her, surprised he was able to touch her, and swung her up into his arms. He ran up the valley past the spirits, surprised he wasn’t being chased but when he looked back noticed how all the spirits and his dead brother stood against the darkness of the valley.

Nico looked up only to see the dragon following them in the sky. He hoped there wasn’t going to be anything weirder with this dream state. His hopes were immediately dashed when, as he was running through the forest he saw images of Will.

Nico paused once because the image of Will was of his younger years. Of Will five years ago. He rushed forward, seeing Will invitingly calling out to them.

“Never answer the call of a ghost,” Alethea whispered. She had finally stopped repeating the first words of the prophecy. Only, she was now repeating things about ghosts and spirits. “Never swim in the lake of those who drown. Never climb up the tree of a spirit. Never answer the call of a ghost.” She kept repeating odd little things that Nico had wished he’d known about when he’d been her age. Or when he’d entered the 21st century. It would have saved him a lot of difficulties.

“Never answer the call of a ghost,” Alethea whispered again. “Never sleep by a grave without permission.” Nico almost laughed at that one, even though it seemed partly true. Nico had never actually slept in a graveyard despite the popular belief at Camp Half-Blood.

The forest seemed to go on forever. There wasn’t really a road to follow so Nico just ran straight, dodging trees, branches and bushes that were in his way. Then he hit the darkness again.

“Nico!” a familiar voice called. Nico knew that voice all too well. When he looked at Alethea in his arms he realized she was fading. Nico panicked but then she completely faded and he started searching through the dark. “Nico!” Will called to him.

“I…” Nico stumbled for the words looking at his empty hands. His hands that were fading into the shadows. Even in all that panic and worry he could only think of one thing.

He lost Alethea.

“Nico!” 

* * *

 

Will was praying to all the gods that could come to mind that Nico wasn’t going to fade, that he wasn’t going to disappear on him. Will didn’t have any of the necessary materials with him to save Nico. He hadn’t even expected Nico on the quest. Nico was lying on the bus seat, Bellerophon patiently waiting with a few grumbles now and then every five minutes.

It was already evening.

Bellerophon had started using his iPad, his headphones plugged in to give them some sort of privacy. Will was knelt on the dirty bus floor trying to grip the fading Nico.

“Please, gods…” Will was praying out loud. “Please wake up. Come on…” Will couldn’t watch a patient die. He couldn’t watch Nico die.

Nico suddenly gasped, his chest heaving up and down searching for air. Will felt a surge of relief hit him, and he didn’t even realize tears were streaming down his face until he saw them hit Nico’s pale cheeks. This time Will would say that Nico looked pale. The guy always looked pale when he pushed himself too hard.

“Solace?” Nico croaked. Will couldn’t even choke out some kind of greeting. He just swallowed the lump in his throat as he gave a short nod. Nico was starting to look solid again. Nico raise a hand up to Will’s face. He never felt more relieved to be touched by someone.

“I thought…” Will tried to say the thing he was most afraid of. He lost his voice and the words. In fact he wasn’t even sure what the words were. He’d seen friends die in the last two wars, but this… on an actual quest—he couldn’t imagine it. How did anyone survive seeing their comrade whose life was based on your leadership die?

“I know…”

Nico’s cold hand traced the line of Will’s jaw and his face, brushing against his cheek. The smaller man’s thumb brushed away the tears from his eyes. Nico still looked so fragile and weak that Will didn’t try to resist anything.

“You could’ve…”

Will put his forehead against Nico’s. He pulled up again to look Nico in his dark eyes, lost in some other kind of thought as Nico said, “I know…” once more.

“Alethea’s awake,” Will said. He still couldn’t stop himself from feeling the relief and happiness to know Nico was still with him. He was afraid he might not make it, but he had never thought that maybe Nico wouldn’t.

“She’s okay?” Nico asked, his concern voice so soft it was almost hard to hear him. Will nodded. “Good.” He saw the way Nico visually relaxed, breathing out a relieved breath and wondered what ordeal Nico had been fighting internally and regretted that Nico had to go at it alone.

“What happened?”

“I learned something,” Nico said. Will felt the way Nico’s hand was now brushing against the back of his neck. He should have thought it was strange, since Nico hated people touching him. Nico also didn’t touch anyone without needing to. He should have realized something was wrong, because Nico would have tried to separate them to get some personal space. He hadn’t.

“What?” After he asked the question Nico’s weak hands was suddenly full of strength.

The hand at the back of Will’s neck gripped the back of his head and pushed him down the few inches between them. His lips crushed against Nico’s and he suddenly felt a sense of panic.

For a moment Will was lost to the world. He closed his eyes and felt Nico’s tongue nudge his lips open, he let Nico invade his mouth. Unlike the rest of Nico’s chilled body his tongue was hot. It tangled with his tongue and Will had never felt himself so gone off the edge of the world he didn’t even remember it wasn’t the time or place to do such a thing.

Nico’s hand left his head but his tongue was still roving Will’s mouth. He’d never felt more ravaged—actually he was usually the one ravaging someone’s mouth with a kiss. He was seriously gone to the world.

Will found himself gasping for breath and the heat rushing from downwards up to his face immediately. He moved his hand to cover his face with his sleeve, thoroughly embarrassed now that he remembered where they were and who was sitting in the bus seat across from them.

“Now Travis can stop asking you if you’ve kissed me yet,” Nico smiled at Will. His smile was weak, very slight and seemed more like a smirk, but it was full of contentment and his eyes were in a teasing kind of mood. Will couldn’t find the humor to laugh or smile, he just looked up at Travis whose gaze was neither full of shock or disgust. Will chose not to look too much into it, since Travis had asked Will not bring up the subject.

For now he was also not going to think about the rare times Nico had looked so content and free. Like Nico was actually living life for once, because he knew once Nico sat up that would instantly disappear.

“C-can,” Will found himself shaking and stuttering. He cleared his throat and stood up to find some way to brace himself. “Can you get up yourself?” Will asked as he stepped into the aisle, trying not to look at anyone. He still needed to cool himself off and hoped the embarrassment stopped showing on his face.

Nico sat up fine, took a few breath and stood up. He wobbled for a second and Will held out a hand to catch him, but Nico braced himself against the seat and waved Will away.

“I’m fine,” he said with his strangled voice. He stood to his full height and then stepped out into the aisle towards Bellerophon.

Nico caught Bellerophon’s attention and the older man finally took out his headphones. “The memory you took,” Nico rasped but he had a dangerous tone as he spoke anyways, “is private. If you share it, do not even think you’ll get away. I’ll finish what the gods didn’t and make sure you end up in the worst torture any demigod has seen after death.” Bellerophon just bellowed in laughter.

Nico stood up straight again and waited for Bellerophon to open the door. He stepped out before the rest of them.

As they all stood out on the sidewalk they looked back at Bellerophon. The man said, “Your stories were fun. Interesting. I hope you fare well on your quest.” They all looked at each other as none of them had said a thing about being on a quest. Then again a group of demigods heading to Half-Blood Hill basically meant they were on a quest. “Also, you,” Bellerophon pointed to Travis. Travis pointed to himself and Bellerophon nodded. “I owe you 49 more rides. Feel free to call me up, I’ll rush over!”

None of them made a comment about how they should have just had Travis scanned instead to save the torture. It was too late to care about it. Next time he was on a quest and needed a ride he would probably use Travis or Connor first though.

The man bellowed in laughter, as evil and maniac as it sounded the first time Will heard it, and closed the bus door. In mere seconds the bus had disappeared and when they looked up at the night sky they could only see the red circular taillight gleaming. Even without counting the seconds those lights disappeared eventually too.

“I do _not_ like that guy,” Will said immediately. He breathed through the cold night, shivering since his warm body needed to adjust to the stinging cold. He glanced down at Alethea where she stood. She wasn’t shaking and neither was Nico, and she oddly seemed even more attached to Nico than before.

“Let’s go,” Nico said. He ignored Alethea and started towards the bridge.

“Getting into a car right about now would help a whole lot,” Travis grumbled as they followed after. It was cold.


	10. The Child of Apollo Looks

Walking across the bridge over the Thames River was not exactly what Will thought to be the best way to survive this quest. He was freezing, and he had a feeling it was because he was wearing sneakers that did not insulate heat very well. Then again that was the point of the sneakers.

As they walked on the highway bridge, cars zooming by, people staring at them, he spent a good amount of time thinking. Most of it on Nico’s kiss. Although his bottom half was freezing, everything above his chest was burning. It was like he’d caught some kind of virus and was overloading.

“You listening?” Travis slapped Will on the arm.

He wasn’t. In fact, he was more interested on whether Nico was willing to kiss him again. “Dude, you need to dish,” Travis whispered into Will’s ear with his arm wrapped around Will’s shoulder. They were sort of wobbling left and right a few paces behind Nico. Alethea skipping along between the three of them.

“What?” Will asked, he wasn’t exactly paying attention. He noticed how Nico turned his head to look back at them, but his eyes mostly stopped on Alethea. For some reason Nico looked almost afraid of her.

“How was it? The kiss?” Travis feigned jabbing him in the ribs.

“Why do you want to know so badly?” Will grumbled. He made sure to keep his voice low so Nico wouldn’t overhear.

“Just talk!”

“We’re not girls,” Will growled angrily. “And even the girls we know don’t talk about it!” Will ignored Travis listing the number of girls—mostly the Aphrodite cabin—they did know how shared everything about their relationships. “Will you just shut up?”

“No,” Travis answered. “Will, you’re the only guy I can talk to about these stuff.” Will rolled his eyes. He was the _only_ guy Travis dared to ask about kissing someone of the same gender.

“There’s Nico,” Will offered.

“He’ll kill me for asking,” Travis whispered sharply.

Will fought for the strength to call Nico over. Instead he took a breath and counted for patience. Running his fingers through his hair he tried to find the best way to describe the kiss without saying much about it.

“What was it like?” Travis whispered his question.

“Are you two sesame twins done making out?” Nico asked. They looked up immediately. Will felt his heart pause.

Watching Nico stand at the end of the bridge, the cars zooming by, the streetlights glaring in the night, Will was almost taken away. Nico’s aviator jacket was something he was used to seeing in any season but the way it suddenly became a part of Nico took Will to another level of “gone from the world”. Nico’s shaggy hair was being blown by the wind but it was short enough not to waver around like a nuisance. It was kind of cute. He didn’t even stop himself for thinking another guy was cute.

Standing there, hands in his jacket, Nico was half turned staring at them. He looked irritated but Will knew that was just how he hid being uncomfortable. Will’s eyes drew onto Nico’s lips. They were pink—almost like the only life in the bleak cold winter’s night they stood in. Then he saw clearly how Nico’s lips were chapped and chewed on. A nervous habit, maybe?

“Uh, Solace…” Nico muttered.

Will blinked and realized why he could tell in the dark that Nico’s lips were pink and chewed on. He’d walked right over to Nico, so close they were mere inches apart. Nico was struggling with staring up at him with his height since Will was a couple inches past six-feet.

“Sorry,” Will barely murmured. He was seeing how he would kiss Nico. He didn’t want to move away. Didn’t even want the space between them to be there now. He wanted to kiss those chewed lips, his tongue brushing over those white teeth, tickling the roof of Nico’s mouth. He wanted to hold onto Nico’s waist by the belt, pull Nico so close their hips were almost joined. Will wanted to run his hands under Nico’s aviator jacket and his shirt, feel the skin burn with his touch, wanted to hear Nico’s groan for more and inadvertently push forward…

“Solace.” Nico’s hand pushed against Will’s chest. He let himself get pushed away. He stepped back, but he put his hand over Nico’s. Nico’s hand was freezing cold but he acted like he didn’t even feel it. Will didn’t want to let go of the hand over his heart. He pressed it closer instead. He wanted Nico to feel his heart beating, because it was still racing from that kiss they had from across the bridge.

“Where’s Alethea?” Travis’ question brought Will back to reality. When he looked between them and around he couldn’t find her. He looked to Travis, but he shook his head.

Will bit back a curse. How much time had passed exactly? “Alethea?” Will shouted into the busy street. His heart was racing for another reason now. “Baby?” Will moved forward, only to feel a tug and realize he was holding onto Nico’s hand.

“She’s alive,” Nico said when Will turned back to him. All he could do was nod. “I would feel it if she died,” Nico said in a sterner voice, as if trying to assure him. Will nodded again. “My hand, Will…” Nico nodded towards it. Will stared at their hands, finding something odd but still not wanting to let go of it. “Give me back my hand.” Will didn’t let go.

“Dude.” Travis patted Will’s shoulder as a way of comfort. “We’ll find her. She can’t have wandered off. She’s smart.” Will only nodded but the fact was that Alethea was a seven-year-old girl who could tell when someone lied, and she was very trusting because she couldn’t tell when someone or anyone had a bad intention. His panic continued to rise in him.

Will ran his other hand through his hair when Travis came back from scouting around. Alethea wasn’t with him but Travis was too busy trying to cross the busy highway to see Will freaking out. “Oh gods,” he suddenly wanted to cry as he said the words, “please…”

 Travis approached and held one of Alethea’s gloves with him. “She dropped this in a residential street not too far from here.” Will nodded and let go of Nico’s hand for the brief moment for them to climb off the highway bridge to the work area below. When they made it to the ground and Travis led the way across Bridge Street onto Church Street, Nico didn’t say a thing when Will took hold of his hand again.

He could smell the stink of the cyclops that had been tracking them since Indiana. It was also the one that forced Fern to run from Minnesota at this horrible time in the year.

“It was here,” Travis nodded as the strength of the stink became stronger the further they went down the street. He wasn’t sure where this led them. What would a giant cyclops do with a little girl in a town? Especially in what seemed like a neighborhood.

Will tried to figure out if there was a forest, a park, some small area of woods around. His memory and geography failed him for some ridiculous reason.

Travis thought for a moment, jiggling between his right and left foot. He puffed out a breath of air and said, “Washington Park. Has some trees, residential, has a baseball field.” Will slapped him on the shoulder as he rushed forward although he had no idea where he was running. He was following the stench until it disappeared and then he let Travis take the lead.

He didn’t care that the few people still out in the evening gave him odd looks for holding hands with Nico. At the moment he didn’t care if someone saw past the Mist and saw him with a quiver of arrows and a bow on his back, a celestial bronze sword at his waist running against the cold wind. His baby sister was in danger. 

* * *

 

Thea didn’t want to cry. She tried really hard not to. First the big one-eyed smelly monster grabbed her when she was looking over the railing, then she was hung over a rope tied to a tree. She was hanging upside-down staring at a baseball field, a lot like the one that was close to her home. She wished Will, Nico and Uncle Fern was with her. At least she wouldn’t be screaming in the hot bath below her on her own.

The one-eyed thing walked away and Thea let go of the breath she was holding onto. It smelled worse than when the garbage was full.

Thea waited for a long time, sweating a lot while she waited. She was getting a headache from being upside-down. The monster returned, cutting the potatoes into the boiling bath. It looked at her, smiled, and then pushed her. Thea felt like throwing up as she swung back and forth. Now she really wanted to cry, but she didn’t want to.

Maybe if she screamed Will would come find her. Or Nico. Oh, but Nico didn’t like it when she screamed. She remembered how scared he was in her dream. She remembered how he picked her up and ran away from the dark things trying to take them too. Nico was nice. He wasn’t mean like her cousins. No one liked her but Uncle Fern and her _pog_ and mom… But Mom was gone, and so was _Pog_.

The monster didn’t come back for a while. Thea didn’t know what to do. What if it forgot her and she died because she was hungry or because she needed to go pee really badly? Her hands could still move around, but her arms were tied behind her back and the rope was wrapped around her like a snake.

She didn’t know what to do. Maybe Will and Nico was looking for her? Even Connor—wait, Travis, even Travis would be nice. He was nicer than the stinky one-eyed monster.

She screamed when the wind blew so hard she swung. Thea almost hit the tree she was hanging from. She swung away and back to it, and Thea didn’t know what to do. The next time she would hit the tree.

Her legs swung open and wrapped around the tree branch as she just almost hit the tree trunk. She didn’t know why she did it, but at least she wasn’t going to hit the tree again. She tried really hard, and it was super hard without her hands, to sit up on the branch instead of hang from it with her legs.

Now what?

Then Thea remembered the knife Will gave her. He said if he wasn’t around, although he promised he would always be, to save her that she should keep the knife—er, dagger to use to help. She loved Will. He said he was her big brother, and that she had a lot of big brothers and sisters where they were going and that they would all love her too. She didn’t like Connor and Travis a lot, but she liked them just fine. She didn’t like that they made fun of her. They were always lying.

Thea tried REAAALLY hard to get the dagger from her back, but she couldn’t get it. She wanted to cry. Why was everything so scary and hard? Even if she cut the ropes and climbed down the tree she didn’t know if the monster would come back.

What if she had to go back to her aunt and uncle’s house? Uncle Fern didn’t leave with Thea because he was too sick, what if he died? Thea didn’t want Uncle Fern to die, she liked him! She didn’t want to go back to everyone who called her a liar. She hated that big house! She hated her uncle. She didn’t want to be with her cousins! Why did everyone hate her because she didn’t have a dad? It wasn’t bad to be different either…

Thea kicked her legs in the air for a good time. Then she remembered the monster might come back. She tried to get the dagger that Will had strapped to her back. It looked cooler on his thigh but he took it off and put it around her waist when he gave the dagger to her.

She touched the handle with two fingers and tried really hard to pull it out. What if the dagger fell? She hoped it didn’t.

Thea felt the knife fall behind her. She was so scared it fell down on the ground but then she leaned back against the tree where she sat on the branch. She was so happy when she felt the dagger on her hand. Though she cried out when it cut her the first time she tried to grab it.

She remembered the monster was coming. Thea found the handle, but something felt wet…?

_Don’t think about it._

She didn’t know what she wanted to do. She just tried cutting whatever was in the way of the dagger. It seemed like forever until the rope fell apart and she could move her hands around.

Thea put the dagger back in its cover on her back around her waist. It was a good thing the monster took her jacket but didn’t look under her shirt. Stupid monster.

Thea wanted to climb down but she decided to climb up instead. Her mom used to say stupid people look down and never look up. Her mom loved the sun, she loved the sky, she liked when it rain and she liked the stars and the moon too. She liked looking up, and she loved singing.

Thea climbed up until she couldn’t anymore. She heard the monster come back and she hoped it couldn’t find her. She hid herself in the branches and snow that acted like leaves. Maybe she was so small the monster wouldn’t find her hiding up there.

_Hide-and-seek._

Right. Just like hide-and-seek. If she count to ten after the monster left she just needed to find another hiding spot.

The monster was yelling, and sniffing for her. It couldn’t find her so it went off on its own. Thea counted _one Mississippi, two Mississippi…_

She climbed down once she got to five. She saw it going to the baseball field. She ran the other way towards the trees. When she got to ten she dropped into the closest pile of snow. She burrowed her way inside. It was like hide-and-seek. She dug herself inside and dug two holes to look through to see if the monster saw her.

She couldn’t see anything in the dark. She didn’t hear or smell it coming to her. Thea started to count again.

When she was at five she dug out of the small hill of snow and ran for the trees again. This time when she got to ten she hid under the round snow sled someone left.

_Ninja turtles._

Yes. Just like Raphael. She liked Raphe, he was so cool. Thea cried when Raphe was left all alone and his brothers were taken. Then she was happy when he saved them from the evil scientist.

Her mom promised to let her watch the other Ninja Turtles movies. Thea didn’t know the older movies, but her mom had said they were really fun. Not as good as the one they watched last summer but still fun. Maybe if Thea asked Will he would find the movies for her?

_Of course he will._

Thea looked up from her hiding place. She looked around for the monster. It was going back to the tree and the hot bath in a pot with potatoes and onions. Thea didn’t want to take a bath in that. She liked soapy baths and smelling like that one thing her mom liked… What was it again…?

 _Lavender_.

The monster yelled something angrily. Thea held very still. She was so cold she wanted to run and move. She could see the houses on the streets but no one seemed to see the monster. Thea hated that. She could see things but everyone acted like they couldn’t and called her a liar. Her mom and Uncle Fern were the only ones who believed her.

Thea watched the monster run down the streets grumbling. She jumped up and ran for the trees again. Once she got there she felt safe. Maybe the monster was too stupid to find her.

She climbed up one of the trees. Her hand hurt but she didn’t want to look at it. She hoped Nico and Will… or Travis found her.

She sat high up in the street. There wasn’t any leaves to hide in, but maybe the monster wouldn’t find her. She held onto the branch she sat on, pulling her sleeves over her hands. She lost the mittens Nico bought her. She hoped he forgave her for that.

Thea closed her eyes tight. What if they never found her? What should she do? What if the people in the houses didn’t believe her like her aunts and uncles and cousins? What if they called her a liar? What if those people in the houses were helping the monster? What should she do? She didn’t know what to do.

What if they never come for her? What if Will didn’t want her as a sister anymore? She liked when Will called her “baby”. That’s what her mom used to call her. She liked Will. She loved him. She didn’t want to lose Will or Nico or Uncle Fern. She might cry if she lost Travis, but she would still be okay.

Thea didn’t want to cry. She tried really hard. She held onto the tree branch really tight instead. So tight her hands hurt.

“Please come…” Thea cried. “Will…”

Then she heard a voice.

“Alethea?”

Thea looked down but she couldn’t see anything. Then she remember her mom and _pog_ telling her the rules. _“Never answer the call of a ghost. Never swim in the lake of those who drown. Never climb up the tree of a spirit. Never answer the call of a ghost.”_

“Alethea?”

_“Never answer the call of a ghost.”_

Thea couldn’t see the person calling her. What if it was the monster again? What if it was something else? What if it really was a ghost? She didn’t want to be controlled by a ghost. She didn’t want to be taken. She didn’t want to be spirited away. She didn’t want to be forgotten. She wanted to be with Will and Nico and Travis.

“Alethea?”

The voice was closer. She didn’t want to look. Don’t look.

_Look._

Don’t look.

_Look._

“Hey. Thea?”

She opened her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pog = paternal grandmother (in the language Alethea speaks that no one apparently knew)


	11. Dreaming of Love

Travis’s arm was hurting very badly. At first he’d cursed his luck for ending up as the search party, now he just cursed the fact that he didn’t have Will and Nico’s love story. At least they got to fight together.

Alethea wouldn’t look at him, probably afraid he was the cyclops. She probably didn’t know that Nico and Will had gone bat-shit crazy when they found the damn monster had lost her. Nico summoned a horde of skeletal warriors to charge the ugly stinking thing while Will ran at it with his sword.

Travis spent that time looking through the baseball field, the area where she’d hung from and then noticing her footprints in the snow. By the time he’d been able to track her into the woods he heard the cyclops bellowing as it turned into dust for Tartarus.

“Hey. Thea?”

Travis was right next to her. She finally opened her eyes and looked. Then the tears came and she threw herself at him. She held on so tightly and the force of her blow made him slip. They were falling until he was lucky enough to grab onto the lowest branch with one hand. His other holding onto her tightly.

With a sigh of relief he tried to pull them both up. He groaned. They should make it if he dropped down, but he didn’t want to take the chance of breaking his legs. He could feel his hands slipping. They were several feet off the ground.

“WILL!” Travis shouted in desperation.

He suddenly felt something under his feet. Someone was under him, their hands under his shoes. Travis didn’t chance to look down, he just adjusted himself to balance on their hands and where he held the branch.

“Alethea?” he rubbed her back. She peeked up at him. She was shivering from the cold and the fear. He wondered when she was going to realize she’d soiled herself. He wasn’t going to embarrass her by bringing it up even though he could smell and feel it. “Thea, I need you to hold onto me, okay?” She nodded vigorously. “I mean I need to let go of you for a second. I don’t want you to fall, okay? So hold onto me very tightly.” She nodded. She wrapped her hands around his neck even tighter. He struggled for a deep breath just as her legs wrapped around his ribs.

He let go of her, testing for a second to make sure she wasn’t slipping. Travis pulled his free hand up on the branch. He used both hands to get a better grip, pulling himself up for a moment. He looked down, seeing Will step back to the side with Nico.

Travis stared at where he wanted to land. He relaxed his knees for a second and focused on where to land, then he didn’t just let go but pushed his weight off the branch. The snow dropped along with them. He wrapped his arms around Alethea in case she dislodged herself somehow, but it wasn’t necessary as she held onto him as tightly as he held onto her.

Travis breathed a sigh of relief when he landed on his feet without a broken bone. A shockwave was going through him so it took him a minute to stand up. Alethea wouldn’t let go of him even though they were on the ground.

“She’s really good at climbing,” Will gaped as he stared at the height of the tree. Travis just nodded. His legs were still buzzing.

“You need a minute?” Nico asked. Travis didn’t want to nod. He was starting to feel like his landing wasn’t as harmless as he’d first thought, but now wasn’t the time.

“Alethea, baby?” Will moved closer. Travis grabbed Will’s shoulders, giving him a look that told him to take his sister off his neck. Travis couldn’t breathe anymore. “Baby?” Will said softer as he tried to pull her hands free of Travis’ neck. Alethea finally peeked out from under Travis’ chin. “You’re choking Travis, come on.” Will held his arms out to Alethea.

“Will!” Alethea flung herself at her brother.

Travis collapsed back onto the snow breathing for air. Gods, he’d never felt more close to death except the time Clarisse almost caught him yelling taunts and making fun of her underwear during capture-the-flag. It got her into the trap… but she beat him so hard even his butt cheeks had been bruised. Travis would never live that down. Mostly since everyone chuckled and giggled whenever he tried to sit but it stung too much to sit and he shot out of his seat.

It was more embarrassing since it was the first weekend the Roman camp came to join for training. Everyone in demigod-dom knew how he’d been beaten up by girl and was smarted by it.

“Good,” Travis waved Will away. He stood up and started moving to get out of the woods and into the streets. “We need to hurry. We shouldn’t be that far from Half-Blood Hill.”

Once they got to the street Travis knew where he was going. It shouldn’t take long to get there, he figured. Even if they were walking. If they kept going they would make it by nightfall. He ignored how Will walked with Alethea carried in one hand, and held Nico’s hand in the other. It was stupid stuff like that, that Travis kept pestering him about his experience with Nico. Could the guy get any denser, or for that matter practically rub his love life in someone’s face?

It was amazing just how clueless Will was even about himself. It was pretty obvious to anyone who bothered watching Nico’s interaction with Will that there was chemistry. Plus, Will looked like he enjoyed that kiss too much.

Travis couldn’t even mutter a word of greeting to the person he liked. Hell, even Connor was calling him a wuss. It has been five years after all and Travis was only close to saying a very weak “hi” when he met the person. He felt more confident with expressing himself and his words to that person if he was writing them. Maybe he was just a coward like Connor said.

He kept walking until Nico stopped him. Travis turned to look and saw an old Toyota Corolla with a “For Sale” sign and a phone number on it. It was parked in the driveway of a house.

Travis was good with locks and with stealing. He wasn’t sure Nico and Will would agree to that though.

“Can you figure out how much it’s worth?” Nico asked him. Travis almost wanted to yell at Nico for thinking that just because Travis could hotwire a car that he could determine its price. He wasn’t a damn mechanic.

Travis walked up to the car, looking around to make sure no one was out and about to see him. He opened the lock of the car and slipped in. Acting like he was inspecting something very importantly like he was one of the kids from the Hephaestus cabin.

Travis pulled out the sixty dollars he had in his pocket when Nico slipped into the front passenger seat. Travis almost thought it reckless of the owner when he found the keys to the car in the eye shield flappy thing.

“Can you drive?” Nico asked him.

“Can you?”

Nico glared at him.

“I didn’t go home to take my driver’s,” Travis admitted. He could drive, he just didn’t have the license to drive. Nico looked like he was about to strangle him.

He grabbed the sixty where Travis had toss it on the dashboard, and as expected rushed out to the mailbox of the owner of the car. Nico pulled some cash out from his own pocket, and apparently was also writing something down with a pen he had in his aviator jacket.

Now Travis just wanted to smack Nico di Angelo for being a boy scout.

“Let’s go,” Nico said as he slammed the front door passenger seat closed.

Travis looked at Will sitting in the back with Alethea, then at Nico.

“Go.”

“You really want me to drive?” Travis asked Nico in shock. Considering how much of a tight—

Nico glowered at him. “You can drive, right?”

Travis nodded.

“Then drive!” 

* * *

 

When they reached camp Travis wanted to bury himself in a pile of snow seven feet high. It was Friday, the 16th of January 2015. Travis was carrying Alethea on his back with her baby carrier strapped on, his and Nico’s backpack and his jacket in his arms when he realized what was happening.

Will was carrying a sleeping Nico on his back and they both stopped to find the entire camp at dinner, everyone pausing in dead silence, staring at them. Travis tried his best to school his expressions into a playful childish one. It didn’t help that he was staring at the Roman demigods who joined them for a good weekend sparring and capture-the-flag. Judging from the smiles and eye fluttering from the Aphrodite girls, the children of the love goddess actually won this time. Which meant the Romans did all the work.

“Where’s the others?” Chiron approached them.

“With Percy,” Travis answered. He moved away quickly to get to the Apollo cabin. Will went with him until they had to split up. Will went towards Cabin 13 to put Nico in his bed, while Travis was moving to put the sleeping Alethea in the Apollo cabin.

Travis dropped all the things he was carrying at the foot of Will’s bed, then unknotted the baby carrier and gingerly put Alethea on Will’s bed. She moaned and woke up for a few seconds.

“Don’t go…” She held onto his hand with a sweet moan.

Travis sighed. He wanted to take a hot bath, maybe drown himself, and then go to bed himself.

“You’re in Will’s bed, Thea,” Travis said softly. He didn’t know why he shortened her name, but he only ever called her that when they were alone… which was rarely. She responded to him when he called her that. He had a feeling it was because her mother called her that. Fern had told them about how her family treated her, and how worse it got after her mother past away a month ago.

“Mm,” she grumbled. She held his hand tightly. “Thea…” Travis spoke softly.

“Time to let him go and have sweet dreams little one,” a deep voice crooned. Alethea nodded, drifting off to sleep as she let him go. Travis tried very hard not to look up but he did. Then all the words in every single language he knew was gone to him.

 

Will was putting the unconscious Nico into his bed when he saw the dark circles under Nico’s eyes. Will didn’t like that Nico constantly pushed himself.

Will stripped off his jacket and Nico’s and made a run out of the Hades cabin. He’d just about passed the Hephaestus cabin when Leo Valdez stopped him.

“You’re back Will?”

It took a moment for Will to realize Valdez had a huge bruise just under his eye. He wondered how that happened. He must have been staring because Leo explained he’d gotten that when Michael Kahale led the rest of the Venus demigods and some of the Aphrodite boys into a charge. The Hephaestus and Vulcan demigods lost by the sheer force and charmspeak.

Will almost laughed if he wasn’t in an emergency. He told Leo to get the bruised checked out and healed by one of the on-call infirmary Apollo kids. He wasn’t exactly sure who was on-call, especially since it looked like everyone was eating at the Mess Hall. Will rushed into his cabin only to stop abruptly when Travis ran past him.

“Travis?”

He didn’t answer. Will didn’t bother as he ran to one of the first aid kits he kept under the closet by the door. He found the one with a skull sticker on it and knew it was the one he’d packed for in case Nico did something stupid.

Will took the first aid kit and ran back to the Hades cabin. This time he’d just gotten past the Hermes cabin and close to the Hades cabin when Hazel approached him with Frank.

“Hey, no time,” Will greeted quickly. He rushed past them into the Hades cabin.

When he reached Nico he could already see the clear signs of the guy fading again. He hoped the medicinal pads he improvised from Hedge worked. If not there wasn’t much else he could do but probably pray to his father to help Nico. If his father even knew how to fix what was wrong with a child of Hades.

Hazel and Frank offered to help, and between them and Hazel leaving when they started to strip Nico, it was an hour until Nico was fully plastered with the medicinal pads with the iron handcuffs cuffing him to the bed.

Will wanted to collapse right there but he really needed to stay awake to see if the medicinal pads were working. He kept drifting off. His eyes almost wouldn’t open. He’s had too many scares and shocks in just this one day to last him a good ten years.

“We’ll watch over his condition if you want to get some rest,” Frank spoke softly to him. Will wanted to shake his head but he found himself getting up and collapsing to the bed closest to Nico. “Wake me up if anything happens,” he managed to yawn out before drifting into sleep.

He dreamt of things he’d secretly wished. Of Nico smiling and laughing. Will couldn’t even imagine how Nico looked like when he just let himself go to laughter and happiness, but his dream was very imaginative. He dreamt of Nico sitting at the edge of a porch watching children run around the backyard, an easy smile on his face. Will dreamed he was there with Nico, in sad times, in good times, in bad times, during moments that was the hardest.

Then he was suddenly staring at some kind of wedding. It was at Camp Half-Blood. Chiron was the acting priest. He wasn’t with the rest of the audience, and he was holding very tightly to Nico. Nico was mostly frantic and panicky, and then worrying himself he was biting his lips again. Will dreamt Nico hugging him tightly, trying to find the strength and courage to do what he was supposed to do.

Nico stood as the best man of the groom. He took the ring from one of the Hermes kids who ran up to him then shooed them way. Will watched Nico hand the groom the ring, smile and hug him and congratulate him. Then the dream broke apart.

Darkness engulfed him, and somehow he knew this was what Nico saw whenever he collapsed. He felt a surge of fear latch onto him, a coldness that he couldn’t identify creeping under his skin. Will wanted to shout and scream into the void, the darkness that invited him into it. Then it all washed away in a kind of light.

Alethea stood there, in a valley with Nico and another man. The man Will didn’t know was dressed in weird clothing. Then the strange man disappeared after touching Alethea’s head. Nico looked uncomfortable as he took Alethea by the hand and made their way up the valley. Will wanted to talk to them but he had a feeling he was only allowed to see. It was a dream. This disappeared too, breaking apart like shatter glass.

He dreamt of Nico walking away with Travis. When he tried to call out to them they didn’t hear. They held hands, stepped closer facing each other and he watched as Travis bent down and kissed Nico softly. Will’s entire heart burst inside him, and he didn’t know what the feeling inside him was. The burning of whatever was left, of what he hadn’t even known was there. It wasn’t jealously or hate. Will almost found the word for it but his dream changed again.

Will was staring at Alethea’s body lying on a bed in the Apollo cabin, only… she was older. In her teens. She was using his bed. Everyone was worried because she wouldn’t wake up, and the Hypnos cabin kids couldn’t tell exactly what was wrong with her. Then there was Nico, appearing from out of the shadows.

He shoved the kids away to approach them, kneeling at the side of the bed with Will. Nico assured him she would be okay, that all they had to do was guide her home.

Will woke up wondering what day and what time it was. When he got off the bed he heard Fern bellowing from outside.

“Where are those idiots? Where are they?” Fern shouted. “If Alethea has so much as a hair missing from her head I’ll rip those half-bloods apart!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE: Travis' story is under the same series here (Demigod Boys Love) and is called "An Angel for the Traveler". Please read it.


	12. The Morning After

A quick check to make sure Nico was still sleeping before rushing out the door, and then Will found Fern the Satyr being held back as he shouted angrily at all the campers. He threatened to beat everyone for helping “those little rascals” and Will noticed Michael Kahale in the bunch, his size bigger than any of them. He was probably doing half of the work holding Fern back.

“Sorry,” Percy yawned when Will approached, joined by Connor. Travis was nowhere to be found. “He made us get up at the crack of dawn. Where’s Nico?”

Jason approached in a more orderly manner. Unlike Percy who looked like he had just rolled out of bed, Jason looked like he had just returned from a morning run. Golden duo of Camp Half-Blood.

“Resting.” Will nodded behind him to the Hades cabin. “Where’s Travis?” Will asked when Fern finally kicked all the campers off him. Everyone collapsed over the other like a fallen pyramid.

Connor didn’t answer until Will jabbed him with his elbow. “He’s probably getting Alethea ready.” There was a stretch of silence. “Maybe.”

Knowing Travis was going through a difficult time Will didn’t press for more. He had to remember to visit Travis to see about his feet and legs. Although most demigods would have survived dropping from that height, Travis also had to do it in uneven soft snow with another person relying on him. Will should have just try to catch both of them and cushion their weight, but then that would have just resulted in him being hurt. There really hadn’t been much of an option at the time, all they cared about was getting back to Camp as quickly as possible.

Now wasn’t the time for those thoughts. Will took a look at the group of campers again as Fern stood on their fallen comrades. Michael Kahale was the only one still standing and he was making his way through the confusion of campers to Fern. The Roman campers were gathering themselves in position behind their _centurion_ , one even giving Kahale a shield. The Greek campers were still scrambling away as Fern stepped through them walking towards Will.

“Solace!” Fern shouted when he finally saw him.

Michael Kahale and his cohort gathered as a defense line. “Back off, faun!” one of the Romans ordered.

“SATYR!”

Will tried to stifle a smile. All the satyrs hated the Romans for always calling them fauns. Most of them just forgot the difference, but the satyrs took great offense to being calling a faun. Hedge and Fern especially.

“Jason we should probably…” Percy was saying when Michael Kahale used his shield and slammed into Fern. The satyr flew into the air and landed on a few still dazed Greek campers lying on the ground where Fern had kicked them.

“Uncle!” Alethea’s voice shouted. “UNCLE!” she shrieked so loudly everyone covered their ears. When Will and the rest of the campers recovered Alethea was weeping over Fern trying to roll off the campers he laid on. “Fern! Fern! Are you okay?”

“Just fine,” Fern laughed as he finally rolled himself off the campers. Alethea’s smile turned bright the way it did when she was with Fern. “Are you okay?”

Alethea nodded enthusiastically. “Uncle! Uncle!” she tugged on his arm. When Fern finally gave her the attention she smiled even brighter. “That stinky thing came at me again!” Will didn’t shrink back as he felt he should when Fern pointedly glared at him. Instead he made himself walk over, trying not to hang his head in shame as he made his way through the Roman defense line. “And then! And then!” she started again so Fern looked back down at her. “I got away, Uncle! I played hide-and-seek!”

“You played hide-and-seek?”

She nodded.

“I cut the rope!” Alethea announced, not caring for the world that all demigods gathered around the campfire was staring at her. An entire crowd was already listening. “Then I was afraid I lost Will’s knife.” She frowned for a bit, not realizing the way she pouted. “Dagger.” Will almost laughed when he finally reached them. She was the cutest thing. “But then I leaned back on the tree…” then she eyes bulged as she seemed to have forgotten something. “I forgot, Uncle Fern! I was hanging upside-down from the tree first.”

Will almost lost his stance if he wasn’t quick enough to take another step forward. She was hanging upside-down above a boiling pot of stew? Gods, he gave thanks to whichever gods watched over her yesterday night.

“Upside-down?” Fern asked between grinding teeth as he glared up at Will. Will shrugged nonchalantly but he didn’t feel like at ease at all.

“The wind blew and I got scared,” Alethea said loudly to get their attention again. She didn’t realize she was telling the entire camp of demigods her story. “I was swinging back and forth, and I almost hit the tree. Then I used my legs.” She beamed up at them. “I’m good at climbing.”

“You are,” Will said in time with Fern who also nodded as if it was to be expected. For some odd reason Will had a feeling it was because of Fern she was so good at climbing trees. He’d never heard of a nature spirit allowing such a thing though.

“I think I ripped my pants, but when I woke up I wasn’t wearing the one from yesterday.” Alethea twirled around for the effect showing her pajamas pants. “It’s warm here.”

“Alethea, you cut the rope?” Fern reminded her.

“Oh! Yeah!” Alethea beamed again. She was so happy-go-lucky Will was afraid she would never see the evil that surrounded her life. And if she already did Will just hated the miserable life she ended up having for being a half-blood. “My eye hurts, Uncle Fern,” she moaned as she rubbed her eye.

“Hold on,” Fern sighed as he bent down to her. She held her face up to him as Fern worked diligently. Will stood shocked when he saw what was revealed to him, and later everyone who noticed. How had he not discover this in the days he’d spent with them traveling?

Fern was putting the contact back into a contact lens case he pulled out from his shirt pocket when Alethea blinked up at Will.

“Sky blue…”

“Is mine the same color as yours, Will?” Alethea asked him sweetly. Dear gods, Will collapsed to his knees and hugged his baby sister. Blue. No wonder her relatives treated her so badly. She just wasn’t a child out of wedlock and no one knew her father, she was mixed-race with one eye brown and the other blue, not only that but she had ADHD and dyslexia, and could see things and could only ever tell the truth. No traditional like hers would accept such a thing, not without berating the child and emotionally stunting it.

She was the most precious thing in the world.

“Yes, baby, it is,” Will said when he finally pulled away. He brushed his hand through her hair and smiled. “Your eyes are the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen.” Then he thought for a second and said in a whisper, “The second most beautiful.”

Alethea smiled back at him. She leaned forward to his ear and whispered, “Nico has beautiful eyes.” Will laughed and hugged her again.

“Smart girl.” Will took hold of one of her hands. He frowned when he felt something dry and crusty on her palm. He turned it around and saw a blood dried scar scab. “What happened to your hand?”

Alethea smiled again. “When I tried to get the dagger I got cut. But then I got it and I cut the ropes.”

“Then you climbed down and ran?” Fern asked sternly. He didn’t sound happy and Will didn’t like hearing his little sister had gotten hurt before she was even trained to fight.

Alethea shook her head. “I climbed up the tree.”

“Why?” Fern made a face of horror.

Alethea hopped once and beamed brightly, “Cuz Mom said only stupid people look down and never look up. The stinky thing was a stupid monster. It never looked up.”

“Okay, tell me what happened next,” Will rushed her. Gods he hoped nothing else happened.

“Then I played hide-and-seek!” she announced. “When it left to find me I counted to five and climbed down. Then when I got to ten I hid in the snow.”

“Okay, and then?” Will pressed her.

“Then it came back to the tree.” Will rushed her to tell him more. So she happily told the story of how she would count to ten and run off towards the tree line in the opposite direction of the baseball field. She hid under a few snow piles and a snow sled and finally made it to the trees. Then she ran to the tallest tree she could find and climbed as high as she could and waited.

Will felt himself almost topple over. If the cyclops hadn’t been so arrogant because she was a kid, it would have found her. If they hadn’t lucked out with Travis’ instinct to head to Washington Park they would have never made it in time to stop the cyclops.

“Then Travis found you?” Will asked.

She shook her head. “It was cold, and I got scared. What if you forgot me? Or…” she looked down and kicked her bare feet in the dirt. Will waited for her to tell him. “Then I heard Travis calling my name but I couldn’t see him.”

“So you didn’t answer.”

“Of course she wouldn’t” Fern snapped, again as if it was expected.

Alethea shook her head. “I’m not supposed to answer a ghost even if it sounds like someone I know. If I can’t see their face I’m not supposed to answer.”

Will thought that was pretty smart, considering some demigods fell for a cyclops’ mimicking. “But you looked anyways?”

She shrugged. “He was closer, and something kept telling me to look so I looked.”

“Something?” Will asked.

Alethea shrugged.

“Someone,” a voice said in the crowd.

Alethea looked up immediately as if she recognized the voice. Then above her head appeared the Apollo sign. She was being claimed again, this time in front of everyone as witnesses.

“Hello, Thea,” their father smiled brightly. He removed his sunglasses. For some reason his father was a seventeen-year-old surfer dude wearing shorts and flip-flops, and a Hawaiian shirt. It was like… a very upbeat golden Mr. D.

“Will! Will!” Alethea grabbed his hand and started pulling them towards their godly father. The entire crowd had stepped back. “It’s the thing in my head!” she squealed as she reached him. Apollo just smiled when she held onto his leg.

“He’s not a thing, Alethea,” Will said softly as he coaxed her from their father’s leg. She frowned in confusion when he picked her up in his arms. “He’s our father.”

“You can call me Dad,” he smiled at her.

Alethea frowned. She suddenly didn’t seem as excited or friendly.

“Well, anyways,” their father continued as if the silence had never even happened. “I’ll be assisting my half-brother for a year in Camp Half-Blood.” Will took a step away from their father. There was no way any god just decided they wanted to spend more time with their children at camp. Jason and Percy had mentioned after the war with Gaea that Apollo would be punished for what happened with the Roman camp.

“Will!” Will heard Frank bellow and turned to the Hades cabin. Frank was standing at the door looking for him in the crowd.

“He’s awake,” Will whispered with relief. He rushed Alethea to Fern and giving the most uncoordinated leave in front of a god he ran through the crowd to the Hades cabin.

He was relieved to see color on Nico’s face when he burst into the cabin. Only Nico was glaring daggers at him and struggling with the handcuffs that kept him chained to his bed.

When Will finally did release him Nico kicked him in the chest and lifted the blanket over as he stood. Will coughed and then backed away when a near naked Nico approached him in a dangerously strung up stance.

Despite that he had medicinal plaster applied all over his exposed skin, Nico still painted a very dangerous picture. Imagine Hades from the Disney movie when he was angry, only five-foot-ten, wiry and lean muscle, wearing black boxers and had very amazing abs despite his smaller size.

“I would send you to the darkest pits of Tartarus if I wasn’t certain there would be repercussions for doing so,” Nico snapped as he pressed Will against the wall. His dark eyes burned with a sort of intense anger Will had never seen in anyone before.

“Uh, Nico…”

“What?” Nico snapped as he turned to the doorway glaring at Frank.

“Well, you’re in your boxers, man,” Frank said nervously. “And you kinda stink with the stuff Will put on you yesterday when you were fading.”

Will braced himself when Nico turned and threw a punch. Only he didn’t hit Will but the cement wall just next to his head. Nico pulled his hand back, scratches and knuckle bruises and all.

Will tried to grab Nico’s hand to inspect the damage but Nico slapped his hand away. “The next time you think about handcuffing me you will not have the luck of Frank Zhang interrupting a third time.” Will nearly shivered from the cold that was left in Nico’s wake.

Just as Will had marginally relaxed Nico shouted, “GET OUT!” He couldn’t move fast enough after Frank.


	13. Hope That You Love Me Too

It’d been over a week and Will had fallen into the same habit he had before Nico had left with Percy and Jason at the beginning of the New Year. Will had just gotten off his shift at the infirmary, was in the middle of pulling off his scrubs at the far end bed with the curtains pulled when he heard the noise. Travis was in the opposite bed watching him change shirts when he mentioned that Will should go check it out.

“And miss you asking me questions about di Angelo?” Will had teased. Since the quest—which for some reason the Oracle kept saying wasn’t completed—Travis kept asking about his feelings for Nico and such. Apparently to compare with the person he had a crush on.

He didn’t find any logic in asking, seeing as Will was pretty much in the same boat as Travis. Neither of them got the person they liked to talk to them. Hell, Nico all but cursed him to the deaths of Tartarus the day after he woke up and left. It took a lot of Hazel talking to him for Nico to even give that farewell filled with hate and… hate.

Will wasn’t too sure what he felt for Nico either. He liked him, but he wasn’t sure it was in that way. He didn’t mind being kissed or holding hands but he couldn’t really imagine more than that. He knew for certain he didn’t find men attractive, he never really looked at Nico that way.

“Who do we both know that shows up out of the blue and makes that much ruckus?” Travis goaded him.

“Percy Jackson,” he’d answered with as much mischief he could manage.

He’d known the real answer but hadn’t wish to think about Nico di Angelo. As if Nico would ever come back to the place he knew Will would still be at. Will didn’t even know what he’d crossed the line with. If he hadn’t handcuffed Nico with iron the guy might have faded off—or unconsciously shadow-travel as he’d done a couple years ago. It had been the only thing that kept even a bit of Nico grounded to the material world. The only thing that kept Nico where Will was.

“Solace!” a voice snapped in an commanding tone. Will didn’t quite recognize the girl calling him but he still knew it somehow. He turned around as Thalia Grace and the remnants of the Hunters of Artemis carried a makeshift stretcher in behind her.

“Someone’s hurt?”

Will was shocked at all to see the Hunters asking the Infirmary for help. Most of the girls, all who looked like teens, were old enough in age to know the ins and outs of most sickness, wounds and other such things. If anything they would consult with Chiron.

“Nico di Angelo,” Thalia proclaimed as she pulled the curtains away, not even giving him time to grab his t-shirt and pull it on. He had about six girls all filing past him, apparently also scoffing at his body as they lifted Nico’s body onto the bed.

“What’s wrong with Nico?” Travis asked loudly where he laid in bed.

“We were hunting,” Thalia said, which apparently sufficed as an explanation. It didn’t.

“You were hunting _him_?”

Will held back his anger, but he glared down at Thalia who didn’t seem so much as deterred. He knew he wouldn’t win in a fight. He could survive if he had to go head to head with a monster. He wouldn’t if it was another demigod. Especially Thalia Grace who was known for her magnitude of power and leadership. She was basically the Secret Boss after the Annabeth Chase boss stage.

“We asked him to fetch something we couldn’t get our hands on,” Thalia said grimly. She gave a signal that seemed to send the Artemis girls off and before he knew what was happening Thalia had abruptly sat on the chair next to the bed.

“And what is something the _Hunters_ of Artemis are incapable of getting ahold of?” he asked sarcastically. Will put on his scrubs shirt again, stuffing his t-shirt back into his backpack.

“Something from the Underworld,” Thalia replied. Then she leaned forward and brushed the hair out of Nico’s face. It was almost a touching gesture if Will didn’t recall it was Thalia, the ageless sister of Jason Grace, the daughter of Zeus and quite possibly the only girl in existence besides Annabeth Chase who could beat Percy in a fair fight.

“Is he fading?”

Thalia looked at him with a confused look. She shook her head. “No, he just suddenly collapsed when he met up with me at the time and place we agreed on. He’s a boy so we didn’t want to treat him.” Thalia looked almost angered by this, but then perhaps she had her own moral code of honor. Zeus happened to also be the god of _xenia_ , of hospitality. As unwelcoming as the Hunters were towards anyone outside their group (especially boys), Will had to remember Thalia had some attributes similar to her father. She was bound as the “host” to help Nico somehow.

“So you made the trip out here?”

Thalia shook her head. “We agreed to meet here, just not inside the camp.” He nodded. “It just might be he hasn’t been eating. Nico’s had that happened before.”

“He doesn’t eat?”

This was new. Will had noticed before, but he always thought Nico just didn’t eat in front of him. He should have realized that not once had he seen Nico eat more than a bite or nibbles here and there.

Thalia shook her head. “It has happened before.” Will waited patiently. “Normally he’ll just be woozy, his stomach might growl, or he blackouts for a few seconds. We make sure he eats before we send him off but I fear this is different.”

“You’re worried.”

“Bianca was a good person,” Thalia said as she stood up. It was the only explanation needed. When it came to the subject of Bianca, and that was all that was needed with Nico. Everyone knew that.

Will sighed as she left him in charge of a once again at-the-brink-of-death Nico di Angelo. The son of Hades was trying not only his patience but his heart as well.

Will was running his hand through his hair but he felt like pulling every last strand in frustration. Gods he had been praying the entire week in thanks, giving offerings, and everything he could think of in between for Alethea’s safe arrival. Now he was going to have to pray of Nico’s too.

“You ever stop to think,” Travis’ voice carried from the other side of the room. When Will turned to him Travis wasn’t smiling cheekily, he was seriously offering some kind of explanation. “Maybe Nico forces himself until he can’t anymore so he’ll have a reason to come here?” Will didn’t understand. He had a feeling he didn’t want to understand. If he did it would only hurt him more. It would only tell him how much he failed with giving Nico a place to want to come back to. “You know, because of how he thinks he is, if he doesn’t have some excuse he won’t know how he’ll be welcomed.”

Damn Travis. Damn him to Hades and the darkest pit of the Underworld. 

* * *

 

Nico groaned with the massive headache that launched its attack on him the moment he woke up. It took him a minute to be able to open his eyes. He was so tired he was sure even the Hypnos cabin couldn’t have interfered with his sleeping.

He bit back a curse as he groggily tried to sit up. The first time he found his arms shudder under his weight and dropped him back onto the bed. The second time he’d gotten so dizzy from sitting up too fast he almost hurled. The third time there was a gentle hand supporting his back and helping him sit up slowly.

“Where am I?” he croaked. He’d heard his voice crack and break before. He’d even lost his voice a few times. Nico was more surprised because he was suddenly assaulted with a ravishing hunger and a thirst that needed to be quenched.

Nico leaned back against fluffy stacked pillows, allowing himself to surrender to the support.

“Camp,” came the reply next to him.

Nico found every fiber of him stand on end. Will Solace. He tried not to look at the other man and turned his body to swing his legs to the floor.

“Di Angelo,” Will’s cold voice said with a stern underlining threat. Nico didn’t scare easy but he really wanted to run. “You will stay in bed.”

“This isn’t the infirmary,” Nico said as he noted his surroundings. Actually, this wasn’t even the camp. His frown deepen. There was a foreboding warning that Nico just could not stomach as he began to recognize his surroundings.

“Your apartment,” Will gave the real answer. Nico fought the urge to squirm under his scrutiny. “Rather high class. Two bedroom. Living room’s big. Kitchen’s wide. You even have your own laundry machines in the apartment.” Nico tried not to wince. So he’d been living on his own for some time now, and he’d never told anyone, so what? It wasn’t like anyone had the right to know about his private life. Hell if anyone even cared to know.

“How’d you find it?” Nico asked, his voice so soft he was afraid Will hadn’t heard the question. He did.

For a moment Will had this pitying smile, as if he’d just realized Nico didn’t remember the last thing he did when he’d collapsed. It would come back to him, but it would take time.

“I thought it was weird you have so much cash and a credit card,” Will said instead of what Nico expected. Some yelling, maybe some kind of blame for lying. He’d expected Will to tell him there was no point in showing up at camp and bothering everyone so often when he already had a place to return to. “Sit down,” Will ordered in a deep voice of authority when Nico tried to get up. He collapsed back onto the side of the bed. “You will tell me why you kept this from me.”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes!”

Nico tried not to flinch. He had his back to Will but he could feel the searing heat of his gaze on his back. Nico put his hands together somehow hoping to find a sense of calm by doing so.

“No one bothered to ask.”

He gasped for breath when Will grabbed him by the shoulder and spun around. Then he’d completely lost the use of his lungs as he laid on his bed with Will staring down at him angrily. He’d seen that look before.

Then Will went at him, as he’d done five years after the last war. “What, you never thought to say anything because no one ever asked?” Nico gave a terse nod. “You ever think no one asked because you never talk about yourself? Hell I’ve spent more time than anyone at camp with you and all I know is that when you get angry you sometimes can’t control how your powers react to your emotions. I also know that you like reading comics, and although you like to act like the mature one because Percy’s a doof you’re actually quite childish yourself.” When Nico opened his mouth to object Will interrupted, “Don’t try to deny it.” Nico wasn’t, he just didn’t think that considering he was younger that he had to be compared to Percy by levels of immaturity.

“I also know you like that brooding emo look, but you actually have really nice taste in fashion. It’s really too bad I don’t get to see you wear them often. I know you love Hazel, and you still miss you older sister Bianca. I know you don’t eat a lot and until recently I’d thought it was because you just get agitated when I’m around but it isn’t. I know you used to play Mythomagic, and that you’re actually really good at poker. I know when you get angry everything around you gets cold, because anger isn’t a kind of burning sensation with you. You hold grudges, and for you the phrase ‘revenge is a dish best served cold’ literally means it. I know you hate my guts for caring about you, but Hades, Nico di Angelo I’ve been waiting for so many years for you to just laugh and smile, for you to cry and yell, for you to get angry and sad, to look for me when you get hurt or injured, to tell me about yourself so I don’t have to constantly observe you like prey.”

Nico laid underneath Will for several moments. He was speechless. He’d never… He didn’t know what it was or what really happened, but he could tell it was embarrassing. For him and for Will.

“If you had here to return to why do you even bother coming to camp at all?” Will asked angrily to end his rant. Nico tried to pull back, to push into the mattress as deep as possible. He couldn’t answer it yet.

But Nico decided to give him the plain truth, because he didn’t deal with lies. “Because there’s no one here.” Will stared at him, first with acknowledgement of his words, and then with confusion that slowly turned to shock and finally a lazy smile.

He hadn’t planned to continue, but Nico couldn’t stop himself. There had been so much he wanted to say, not about himself, just things he wanted Will to know. Some way to say those short words without saying them.

“I know you hate that you’re not perfect, that you aren’t gifted in archery as most of your siblings. I know you go to the target ranges but you still suck. I know that even if you don’t show it when you hit a bull’s-eye you well up with pride, as well as relief, and a thank of luck. I know you’re afraid because Apollo works at Camp Half-Blood this year. You’re afraid of disappointing him. Most demigods are, but it’s different with you because Apollo likes to rant about how he is so perfect and to be his son and not be scares you. I know you love Alethea as if she’s your full-blood sister. I can see it in your eyes, the way you talk, and the way she rambles on about you, and always wants to tell you everything. Especially in the trust she gives you. It means you have a genuinely good heart.

I also know it annoys you when you get stuck in the Infirmary all day long, because you don’t want to practice your healing skills. You’re embarrassed that although you’re a good fighter that you’re not a _great_ fighter. You’re afraid to fight other demigods, because the second Titan War pit you against your friends. I know you give up all your free time to be with me in the infirmary. Honestly it pisses me off. I don’t need you treating me like a babysitter.”

And that was where Nico really went off. “It annoys the hell out of me that you always want to be close or touch people. I get that you’re a healer so you’re used to it, but it makes me want to punch you in the face. And while we’re both being honest Solace, I hate you. I hate that you took away that shine that I had for Percy, because at least then it was just torment and not hope.   
Those three days five years ago was the first time in a long time I’ve felt wanted by anyone. And when I tried to do as you’d asked, to come around, help, I got pushed away. Don’t even try to deny it. Everyone was bothered that a son of Hades, the son of the man who ruled over the dead was around the place where people saved the living. But you, you kept smiling and laughing when I was there. You never saw how hard it was that people were being polite when you were around but avoided me when you weren’t. You never really saw anything. Then I left, and it was like that bit of hope I had died when I came back. Because the next time I saw you your entire face told me you were angry and mad, that you had misunderstood, and I saw it how you built up that wall just like everyone else. It wasn’t as thick, you still accepted me, but it hurt because it was you. I could never forgive you Will Solace, for giving me something worse than the one-sided affection I had for Percy Jackson.”

He felt how tense Will was on top of him. He knew from the unguarded expression that Will was hurt and shock by his words. That smug smile of his was wiped off his face with Nico’s words, and replacing it was a deep hard frown. The vein popping out from the side of his neck just below his jaw was testament to how much Will was holding back.

“There’s too much here for me to process at once,” Will finally grounded out.

Nico wasn’t going to take that. Will started this honesty thing, cornered Nico, he was going to finish it. Nico was going to give him a choice and finish this stupid relationship they had where Nico could only see Will if he nearly killed himself. He was done with this. All of this.

“Short of it all,” Nico raged on, “is that I fell in love with you.” He saw something flash in those sky blue eyes but ignored it. “But you treat me like a friend, you’re comfortable with the fact that I like men, but it pisses me off that you didn’t even realize how uncomfortable I got from how friendly you were. Not only that, but because you gave notice of me it made me hope you might like me even the tiniest bit in the same way. But you don’t. I don’t care who you end up going out with, but don’t put me in the middle this so called ‘close friend’ bullshit.”

Then Nico felt lightheaded again. A bit woozy too even though he was already lying in bed. He blinked a few times as he struggled to turn onto his side underneath Will. He could hear Will calling to him in a worried tone, but he sounded so far away Nico couldn’t even manage to say anything. He focused on trying to catch his breath, to put air into his lungs.


	14. Love Me or Leave Me

This time Will was scared because it wasn’t something extraordinary that made Nico black out. It was all the things Nico had said and how he’d pushed himself so hard and so angrily he literally lost his breath. Nico was unconscious because of the fight for oxygen between his emotions and his body.

Will was pacing in Nico’s spacious bedroom unable to calm himself. His head was spinning, running, jumping… imagining. Nico loved him. Nico hated him. Nico loved him.

 _Love_.

Will shivered. It wasn’t from the cold. The room _was_ a bit chilly. He felt like he was suddenly being watched. Not that there was anyone or anything here. Nico’s apartment was bare down the necessary comfort.

Nico’s bed was a large king size, and it shocked him the guy’s bed sheets weren’t black. It was a dark navy blue. He had a number of pillows in his closet and bed. Will wouldn’t be shocked if Nico ended up buying so many because he always took random naps when he used his powers too much or too constantly.

Will decided to take a step outside into the living room. Maybe cooking something would help calm him. It didn’t take long for Will to figure out where everything was.

The flat-screen TV wasn’t big but wasn’t small. He suspected Nico had bought it simply to turn something on and listen to it when he was sleeping, or when he was cooking. Assuming Nico actually cooked. Will opened the fridge, and as he suspected there wasn’t much. He wondered why there were cup ramen noodles in Nico’s refrigerator but decided not to try moving them.

Will found a few carefully bottled liquids inside the cabinet in the fridge. He also decided not to touch those, seeing as all the labels meant nothing to him. Some odd pictures he suspected Nico drew himself since the labels were taped on paper.

In the top shelf of the refrigerator Will found some bread and a half empty peanut butter and jelly container. Will had never liked the two-in-one product but he conceded it was convenient. Will pull out the loaf of bread and frowned. No good. He was going to have to go shopping.

Tossing the bag of bread into the silver tube of a trash can that stood by the L-shaped counter of the kitchen Will took another accessing look. No coffee maker. Obvious. Nico was, as most of the demigods, a junk foodie in one way or another. Nothing too sophisticated. It would’ve made Nico too Roman if he was all Spartan-Bachelor-Pad, black coffee, spazzy suit, high-end everything.

He roamed the place for a while. He’d seen all he needed earlier but he had nothing to do but take closer inspection of the apartment. He didn’t regret it, he found out quite a bit and took in a lot of the space. Nico kept his towels in the closet across the bathroom. They were all dark colors, gray, navy blue, and black. In the lower shelf of that closet were a few extra shampoo and conditioner, some bath salts—Will steered clear of that because it was not human made—and tubes of toothpaste. He was starting to suspect Nico had a tendency to buy in bulk.

Will only bothered to peer into the guest bedroom as he’d done before. The room bothered him a bit. It looked inviting, filled and almost comfortable and cozy. It was completely different from the rest of the apartment. He had to wonder if Nico had any guests or if someone else lived in the apartment too.

Instead of returning to Nico’s room he decided to sit on the couch and think for a bit. He was out of distractions and he didn’t want to go out in case Nico woke up. Now all Will had left was to contemplate Nico’s words… his confession… No, his reality. He needed time. 

* * *

 

Nico was awake but he kept his eyes closed. Somehow he mustered the strength to open his eyes, and slowly got up. He was just a bit dizzy but he figured he could still make it. He just had to focus. The lamp was turned on but the lights in his room was turned off.

As Nico walked half way across the room toward the door he felt like lurching over. His entire body was shivering, like all his muscles were protesting against moving. He half dragged himself to the bedroom door and opened it. The lights were on in the hallway and the living room, but it was deafeningly quiet.

Nico leaned his back against the door frame and squeezed oxygen into his lungs. He couldn’t keep his head up very long in this leaning position so he stared at the hand he let rest on his knee. It was shaking visibly. Nico felt his stomach churning too, like all it had was just liquid and maybe a lot of stomach acid.

He knew he needed to eat but he wasn’t sure he could make it to the kitchen. His head was spinning when he somehow got to the wall that separated the kitchen from the hallway. Nico tried to grab onto the corner of the wall to keep himself standing and maybe swing himself from the hallway into the kitchen. That didn’t happen.

His strength was all gone. He was starting to see black spots and his eyes were moving left and right. He felt his brain throbbing, the blood rushing too much. Nico fought to breathe but his entire body wanted to cry. _He_ wanted to cry.

“Nico,” a voice softly spoke. Hands touched his wrists, his arms, slid under the shirt he wore up his chest and back down. He could hear someone speaking in Greek but he couldn’t concentrate. Nico wouldn’t even be able to fight back if someone tried to kill him.

He felt the thrumming of the vein on his neck. He was still shaking, still so hungry his stomach had stopped growling but was basically seeking nutrients from alternative sources. Nico didn’t know if what happened next was dream or illusion (or if those were any different) but he felt himself lifted up in strong arms. Warm. So warm.

Nico fought the urge to snuggle closer to the broad chest. Nico could tell from the way the person walked softly that it was Will Solace. Will never noticed how he walked so softly his steps were as quiet as Nico’s. It was a habit when he was treating a patient, especially in the infirmary. The habit was ingrained into Will whenever he was in the infirmary because he did whatever he could not to disturb the patients.

Then he groaned because he remembered telling Will that he loved him. He tried to mumble something that probably came out as a slur of inaudible words. Even he didn’t know what he was trying to say. He couldn’t even focus.

When Nico’s eyes opened again, just a bit clearer than before, he had a spoon of… what was that? Nico tried to move away but he didn’t have the strength or the space. He was sitting up on a few number of fluffed pillows as support.

“It is rice porridge,” Will answered his unasked question. Nico tried not shake his head but all he could do was glare at the blob of rice inching towards his mouth on a silver spoon. “Come on Nico, you need something in your stomach.” So Will thought he should have some mushy overcooked watered rice? Nico didn’t want to guess at Will’s cooking skills either. “It’s called congee. Look,” Will held up the bowl—a bowl Nico didn’t remember owning—up to show him. On top of the rice was some… shredded meat? He wasn’t really sure what it was. “Come on Nico,” he urged him again. Nico didn’t want to. “I’m not going to watch you collapse again. You need to eat something. This will help. And if you throw it up it’ll be easier to clean.”

“How…” Nico glared when he realized he was struggling just to speak a few words. Actually that was just frustrating. The glare was because of Will’s pitying smile that was announcing how he was right and Nico was wrong. He amended his words to lesser numbers. “Puke is puke.”

“Then stop arguing and eat. I promise it’s good. Alethea said it was.” Nico fought the urge to remind Will that Alethea, along with half the girls under fourteen at Camp Half-Blood, was in love with his face and none of them were here (but would have killed to have him feed them). He also didn’t have the strength to tell Will Solace that he could take care of himself, the fact being he didn’t have the strength to take care of himself. Nico wasn’t about to tell Will that anytime in the future.

Nico tentatively opened his mouth and the spoon zoomed into his barely open mouth before he could close it. Will weakly smiled when he retrieved an empty spoon from Nico’s mouth. He took his time to eat the _congee_ slowly. It was salty and bland, but oddly good which was weird. The next spoonful had a bit of the shredded meat, which flavored it pretty well.

Will kept pushing him to eat. Those were the only kind of conversation the two of them had for the next two days. Nico would go to sleep and when he woke up it was to either eat that congee, drink some unicorn draught, or be helped (forced) to the bathroom. The bathroom time was weird for him. Will would instantly decide that Nico needed to use the bathroom, and Nico would end up sitting on the toilet or standing (depending on the strength he had to do so) waiting for himself to go. Three out of five times Nico went after some time.

On that second night Will had wished him goodnight and left his room. Nico closed his eyes and went to sleep. He’d never felt more tired than when he had to constantly pay attention to Will pushing him to eat. Only Nico felt so bothered by the way they were interacting.

He was used to Will constantly sitting beside his sickbed, laughing or talking. Will always had something to tell Nico, to recount news or stories, or random topics. Nico felt bothered that the only conversation they had was of Will making Nico eat everything, for him to drink, or for the bathroom. He didn’t like it. Honestly, Nico kind of missed the way Will normally was.

Will hadn’t smiled since Nico’s longwinded bout. He smiled here and there but it was more of a forced and tired kind of smile. There wasn’t any happiness in it. His eyes were getting those grayish hanging bags under them. His golden hair wasn’t as bright as Nico remembered, too dishevel and mussed. Like old hay straw. And while Will pressed Nico to change his clothes often enough, Will didn’t. Granted Nico had a feeling he’d shadow-traveled back to his apartment with Will along for an unexpected ride so there was no change of clothes. If anything Will was staying because he had no idea where he was and because Nico’s health—and not his imminent death—was at a critical.

Lying in bed that night Nico wondered what could be wrong. As far as he could guess Will got as much sleep at Nico did. Maybe less seeing as he was always cooking or out shopping. Then Nico frowned. If Will was shopping that meant he knew where he was, he just wasn’t going anywhere because of Nico’s state of health.

It was past midnight when Nico decided to get out of bed. When Will had made him go to the bathroom hours ago he’d realized he was mostly back to normal, if not just sleepy. He made his way through the dark and peeked into the guestroom. Will wasn’t there so he went to the living room.

There he found Will hunched over, knees up, sitting on the couch. Nico held his breath and stood there as he watched Will mutter to himself.

He figured he wouldn’t want to scare Will again by standing in the dark. So he found the light to the living room and slowly moved the tab up to a dimmer lighting. This caught Will’s attention and he quickly turned around.

“Why are you up?” Will moved quickly. Before Nico could react the other guy had his fingers around Nico’s wrist. “Go back to bed Nico!” Words registered into Nico’s brain before he could adequately explain anything. _Panicked. Afraid. Broken. Hysteric. Lost._

Nico put a hand on Will’s chest and grabbed him by the worn out Camp Half-Blood shirt. He pulled Will after him into his bedroom. Will spluttered this and that after him but Nico ignored most of it. Then he grabbed Will by the arm and shoulder with both hands and flipped him onto his king-size bed.

“You need to sleep Will,” Nico spoke with an authority in his tone. Normally he didn’t care about people, but he was not going to be the one who had their guest collapse on them.

“Nico…” Will groaned. He didn’t even try to fight, he just had his hands in his face lying where he’d been thrown. “Please, just let me…”

Nico grabbed the bottom of Will’s shirt and pulled it up over Will’s face. He swatted Will’s hands away so he could get the shirt pulled off him. Then he got off the bed and walked over to his closet.

“Take off those pants.”

Nico was fairly certain he had sweatpants and a clean t-shirt in his closet. He searched for some time until he found them in his dresser drawer by the closet instead.

“Put these on and go to sleep.”

Will caught the clothes Nico tossed at him. “Are you going to sleep in bed with me?” Will asked, quickly dressing himself in the process. It sounded innocent, almost jeering, but Nico could hear the slightest concern in his voice.

“Do you want me to?” Nico decided to challenge him instead. He was about to turn around and leave when he felt a hand holding onto his. Then it all sparked to life again. Nico remembered that night when Will had simply held onto his hand.

“Yes.”

Nico felt himself tense up so much he could have turned into a rock. Will tugged on him like he was pleading with him. He could practically hear the _“please?”_ hanging from Will’s lips.

With a sigh Nico gave up. He was too tired to fight. Still a bit too weak to do much of anything else. He turned to the bed and climbed into it, crawling over Will as he did so.

Just as he settled onto the left side of the bed and got under the covers with Will he felt a hand not so subtly roaming for his. Nico rolled his eyes and grabbed Will’s wrist, following it to his hand.

“Sleep already Solace.”

He had just closed his eyes when he felt Will shift onto his side towards Nico. He opened his eyes again agitatedly. He was about to tell Will to go to sleep already when he felt how tightly Will’s fingers clenched to his hand. Then Will’s right hand moved and pressed against Nico’s arm, as if both of his arms clutching to Nico’s one would keep Nico rooted beside him.

“Don’t go, Nico,” Will said softly before his head inched to Nico’s shoulder.

Then it hit him. He’d broken down the so-called wall but he also hurt Will. Hurt him so much Nico was afraid he didn’t know how to repair it. Nico had never been able to “fix” anything before. When he tried to revive one sister he got another. When he tried to heal his broken heart he’d gotten heartache. Nico found himself holding tightly to the hand that held his.

They laid in silence until eventually one of them fell asleep. Nico didn’t know who fell asleep first, but he didn’t want to wake up to the problem looming over his head.

When Nico woke up it was noon. Will wasn’t there. For a moment he was afraid Will might have done something stupid. He was kicking off the sheets and made it to the bedroom door when he heard Will on the phone. He was talking to someone about the arrival time. Nico knew right away it was Will asking Chiron about Argus coming to get him.

Nico closed his door silently then climbed back into his bed.

He napped for a bit and woke up again. This time Will had taken Nico’s desk chair from the corner of the room and pulled it next to the bed. Will had been holding onto his hand, thumbing the knuckles while the tips of his fingers explored his palm. He never knew such a sensual act existed.

“Um…”

Nico nearly jumped because he hadn’t thought Will realized he was awake. He wanted to pull his hand away but Will’s ministration transformed into an ironclad hold.

“Before…” he stopped for a moment, as if catching his breath. Nico observed Will running his hand through his golden hair nervously. Golden hair. Yeah that was more like Will. It would seem that Will finally took a shower. “Before…” Will started again, looked at Nico’s face and back down with a heavy sigh. “Before…” Will stuttered to a stop again, paying very close attention to his feet apparently.

“Before I die,” Nico grumbled with his relatively dry voice, “Please hurry this along.” _Or give me my hand back because you’re already holding on to my heart._

He took a deep breath to find the patience to wait for Will Solace’s “goodbye” speech. He’d been expecting it since he heard Will talking with Chiron on the landline phone in the living room. It was why he went to take a nap, because overemotional feats were just as tiring as physical ones.

“Before I go—and I know you never want to see my face again—can I please kiss you?” The words were spat out so quickly it took Nico some time to understand the request.

Will swooped in three seconds after asking, his lips pressing against Nico’s. He hadn’t been able to say no, he’d meant to ask… to ask…

Nico drowned in the kiss. Will leaned over him, a knee on the edge of the bed, inching forward and pressing Nico into the mattress. One arm was wrapped around Nico’s waist, arching him towards Will, the other one squeezed his butt—causing Nico to jerk his hips upwards, which seemed to have the effect Will wanted—and smoothed down to lift his leg up against Will’s hip.

He fought the moan but it came out. Will’s kiss was not rough, be it felt like a ravishing. Nico felt himself being drawn up and up and…

Up. Will was up.

Nico felt himself draw back momentarily, but Will pressed forward instead, their kiss breaking apart barely before Will’s tongue drove into his mouth before it had even separated from Nico’s mouth.

He couldn’t breathe somehow. He could, but wasn’t sure exactly how he was functioning. Nico moaned again, because the way Will’s hips grinded against Nico’s made static buzz through his entire body circuit.

The kiss went on for what seemed like forever. They must’ve gone through eternity and back again because Nico felt how Will’s hips began to slow gradually. It wasn’t abrupt, as if Will hadn’t even realize he’d been expertly interrogating the preferred rhythm against Nico. As if it was instinctive and reaching their high point wasn’t the point of the movement, simply the pleasure and need of doing it.

The kiss wasn’t finished. This time the hand that had been on his leg traced up his stomach to his chest. Nico was going to protest. The alarms in his mind began to blare all at once when Will’s fingers brushed over his nipples. Nico was not inexperienced, he knew his likes and dislikes and he did not like his nipples being played with.

But then Will didn’t try to do what some—or most would. Oddly, Will decided to knead his no-breast chest, the bend of his index finger and thumb just about cupping over his areola. It wasn’t just squeezing at a hard chest muscle but fingers individually pressing in different varying pressures at the same time that got Nico hotter than he’d ever felt while making out with someone. Will used his palm as if sculpting Nico’s chest, but felt more as though it was being caressed. Without ever being repetitive, Will’s hand seemed to squeeze and stroke Nico in all the right places—in an area he’d never thought was sensitive.

Nico tried to break the kiss, to tell him to stop because it was getting dangerous. Will refused to separate. To goad him forward Will flicked his tongue over the roof of Nico’s mouth, touching that ridge that curved towards the top teeth. It was extremely sensitive it almost tickle, but it irked Nico so much he moved forward by instinct. Then before he could collect himself, the tip of Will’s tongue traced the back of each of his teeth before tangling with Nico’s tongue again.

He wasn’t sure what noises he’d been making, but all of them were sounds he’d failed to hold back. Nico hated that Will wasn’t making any noise besides the occasional puff of air through his nostrils. He hated that he was the one being turned into a squirming girl being overtaken by a guy’s libido.

Then as suddenly as it started it ended. Nico was so dazed he was laying there trying to get his sight back from the haze. He heard Will saying something through slightly labored breaths.

“I won’t be at camp anymore unless visiting.”

Nico concentrated on breathing.

“I know you don’t want to see my face ever again because I let you hurt some much and it feels like I betrayed you somehow.”

Nico’s brain was so scattered he didn’t know which letter came first the “I” or the “U”.

“…please try to find me.”

Nico hadn’t heard the first of that last line. His sight came back and he was starting to wonder why he even thought I or U were first in the alphabet. He was only able to catch Will’s back as it exited his bedroom door.

Lying in bed Nico felt like something had happened in a whirlwind, swept him up, deliciously violated him in the most appropriately sexual way, and dropped him back into bed aching and in need. His heart was still racing, although not as fast as before. He felt every part of his body burning. Seared by the sheer force of Will’s “kiss”.

Then he swallowed. He swallowed again. He wasn’t satisfied. Something was missing.

Will. Will was missing.

Where else did Will have besides camp? To whom did he return to? Connor? A girlfriend? …A fiancée?

 _Gods… Hades…_ Nico lifted his hands and pressed the bottom of his palms into his eyes. He hadn’t bothered trying to straighten out his clothes or sheets from earlier.

“Don’t cry,” Nico whispered hoarsely to himself. “Don’t cry.” He would repeat that to himself throughout the rest of the night as tears burned down his cheeks.

He lost another person he loved, this time to the promise he made himself.


	15. Letting Go

It was midnight, January 28 a year after Will Solace decided Nico was nothing in his life. Well, Nico hated himself as much as he hated Will. How could a straight guy—even a possibly bisexual guy—kiss another man the way Will did as a goodbye? Nico hated Will.

Nico couldn’t think clearly. He was twenty, letting himself drink too much since his actual age didn’t even matter. He was out of time to begin with.

Somehow he’d ended up on some street in some city. Didn’t really know where. He’d simply wanted to get away. He was pretty sure it was somewhere familiar, because he rarely shadow-traveled anywhere he’d never been.

The _Gay 90’s_ was a LGBT bar. Not surprisingly enough. He’d never been there before though. He’d gone in through shadow-traveling, didn’t know what he expected. It was a club like most, only it didn’t seem to care who you were with.

“Hey, you okay?” A man Nico didn’t know put an arm around him as he wobbled out of the bathroom.

“I can take care of myself,” Nico grumbled as he pushed the bigger man away. The man looked like he was going to hurt Nico, but then Nico didn’t care. “Leave me alone.”

Nico didn’t want to think about today. He didn’t want to remember about how one year ago when he’d turned on this day that he’d lost someone he’d loved. Someone who actually noticed him, had wanted him even as a friend.

Nico bumped into someone, they felt big and all muscle. Most men he’d seen approaching him had all been muscular. Nico was in no way a bottom when it came to a relationship. Granted he’d considered it before…

“Di Angelo?”

Nico’s eyes were blurry but he glared down at the man who was now standing up off his seat from the booth. Nico couldn’t recognize him, black hair and light bronze skin and all. The muscles were quite well formed. Most gay men would have drooled over it. Women would be all over it too.

Then Nico saw the men sitting in the booth. There were quite a lot of men already drooling over those endowed biceps.

“Ambassador.”

Nico’s gaze immediately sharpened. _Roman._ None of the Greek campers called him that.

“You don’t look well.” The man approached. Nico moved back, eluding the big hand reaching out towards him. “I’m leaving. Good night.” The man turned back to him. Nico still couldn’t focus enough to recognize him. He was tall.

“Come,” the man said in a hard but quiet tone as he reached out to Nico and pulled him into his side, pressing him against his hard chest. “We are leaving.” As they walked Nico felt like he knew the man somehow. He could hear the whines and the regretful murmurs. He didn’t like this. He did not like attention, but as they were moving towards the exit it seemed all eyes were on them.

“You’ve got everything?” the Roman asked him.

“Didn’t come with anything,” he slurred.

“Good.”

When Nico looked up he still couldn’t see much. Something was wrong with his sight. He didn’t know why it was so blurry. Nico was certain he didn’t drink enough to already be in this state. He tried to walk on his own but the man kept him pressed in the crevice of his arm and shoulder, forcing Nico to walk in his pace.

The free air felt cool but then it suddenly felt like nothing. Nico groaned as he suddenly realized the man was taking them away from people, into a dark alleyway. He should try to get away but Nico was suddenly not so afraid. He could take the guy. No sword and all.

His back was pressed against the brick wall rather gently. A large hand enveloped his jaw and forced him to look up at his stranger. Nico still couldn’t see him clearly but whatever. Blackish hair, tannish skin, and huge muscles. It felt like Nico was staring up at Tyson, the man just seemed that tall.

“How long have you been in there?” the man asked.

Nico laughed. “I don’t know,” he suddenly felt like giggling, it was funny. “What time is it?”

“Past midnight.”

“Maybe an hour or so.”

There seemed to have been a hard look and then a nod.

“Don’t move, Ambassador di Angelo.” The man moved away from Nico. He could hear the man saying something into the phone, telling someone something. Nico couldn’t concentrate, it was just so funny. If the guy was planning to try and rape him he better do it now, although regardless all Nico had to do was slip into the shadows.

The man approached him again. He grabbed Nico’s arm and a smile spread across Nico’s face. He was certain the stupid part of him had control but Nico couldn’t seem to stop himself.

“Do you know who I am, Nico di Angelo?” the man asked. Nico suddenly sobered a little. Was he supposed to know him? “Can you see me clearly?”

Nico thought for a moment. He could try and trust, but that was hard.

“Honestly, no.”

The man seemed to nod. “Are you taking drugs?”

Nico was suddenly angry. He didn’t know why. He understood the man was just asking to be certain, but he felt like he was being interrogated.

“So no,” the man said, seeming to read Nico’s anger as some sort of answer. “Ambassador, I think you’ve been drugged. Were you drinking with anyone?” Nico shrugged. He didn’t have to answer this person. “Drink this.”

The man handed him a suspicious vial of liquid. He frowned. The man uncapped it and forced his hand up, the vial just on his lips. Nico sighed and drank it in one gulp. It wasn’t the first time he drank something dangerous. Nico didn’t really care whether he was alive or dead today anyways.

After taking it in one swallow he coughed and turned around to throw up against the wall. The small contents of his stomach fought to come up but after some time it settled again.

“Take your time,” the man said soothingly. His big hands were rubbing against Nico’s back, his heat embracing Nico with the small space between them. Nico groaned instead of push him away.

“What’d you give me Kahale?” Nico groaned again, feeling like retching but nothing came up. He was crouched over as he balanced on his haunches.

Kahale laughed softly. “I see you’re the kind that gets your mind back first.” Nico just shook his head. Kahale was normally very straightforward, hell even blunt. He was a good guy, as Reyna often recounted to Nico all those years before they all left the camps. His sponsors—meaning Octavian who shot himself into a ball of fire—were not.

“It’s a tonic or potion of sort. Helps with neutralizing effects of any chemical substances. Mostly clandestine chemicals,” Michael Kahale’s oddly soothing voice explained. Whatever he was saying gave Nico more of a headache. Nico was able to understand the words ‘potion’, ‘neutralize’ and ‘chemicals’ which was all he really needed. It was an anti-drug drug. “You need to relax.”

“Don’t,” Nico grumbled. He held out a hand in Michael’s general direction, which was in very close proximity of him. “No charmspeak. You know how I feel about that.”

“Not really.” Michael seemed to shrug in Nico’s peripheral vision. Nico almost cursed. Of course, because the person he’d told that to was not Michael Kahale but Will Solace that one time Piper tried to charmspeak him into resting.

“What are you doing-” Nico was in the middle of asking when he realized he had no idea where he was. He looked around with a glare but couldn’t see much. All he could take out, as his vision cleared, was that he was in a city. “Where is here?”

“An alleyway down the block of _Gay’s 90’s_ in Minneapolis,” Michael answered without hesitation. Nico heard something about Michael working as a police officer somewhere. “Minnesota.” Remembering how Reyna had told him that Kahale had been transferred Nico winced with the memory of it. Apparently Michael’s former captain had not liked all the attention Michael got from women. Men’s pride weren’t immune to jealousy. Reyna’s words not his.

“I see.”

Nico didn’t think much of the location. He should have.

“Stay at my place tonight,” Michael Kahale said, his hand at the small of Nico’s back. Michael was not known for being friendly. “I’ve been investigating some drug distribution around here,” he whispered into Nico’s ear just a little too closely. Nico, however, did not feel the charm that was usually associated with children of Aphrodite or Venus. Then he saw the few people across the street, standing at a bus stop looking not-very-suspicious at all.

“Undercover?” Nico asked.

Michael seemed to smile against his ear, pressing Nico just a little closer as his arm wrapped around Nico’s shoulders. He didn’t seem to have a problem acting very close to Nico. Perhaps that was the problem. Nico did not like people close to him, but Michael saw him as an accessory and wanted to use him.

“I was transferred over, so no one knows me here.” As if that was all the explanation needed. No good Roman demigod could live it down being “transferred” right after getting out of college and getting into the Salt Lake City Police Department.

“Can I kiss you?” Michael asked once they stepped back into the streets again.

“No.”

“Alright,” Michael said with a smile. Instead he bent down and nuzzled against Nico’s jaw line, apparently sniffing—which might look like kissing from another angle—Nico’s neck. “You need to seem into it,” Michael whispered against his neck. Michael’s beard felt ticklish, and Nico really did not like it.

“I don’t bottom,” Nico grounded out. Michael laughed against Nico’s neck for a moment. It wasn’t funny. Just because Nico was considered small in comparison to most Roman and Greek children of the twelve gods didn’t mean by any standard that he was small.

“Apologies,” Michael chuckled away the last of his laughter. “Just take my hand and lead us down past the club,” Michael instructed. Nico didn’t know why he was helping Michael, but he did anyways. He did as Michael asked, taking his hand that was hanging around his waist and began to pull him in a slightly suggestive manner.

He couldn’t believe he had to play some femme gay man for Michael to do his job. Nico moved quickly, which could have been mistaken for sexual urgency. He just wanted to go away, and he also had a feeling that Reyna had asked Michael a long time ago to help him if Michael ever saw him around.

 

Michael pulled into a garage of a house close to a college campus. It didn’t seem too far from the club, maybe a twenty-minute drive.

“So what are you doing here?” Michael asked him as they got out of the car. The garage door stopped groaning as it closed, and Michael opened the door that connected to inside the house.

“Browsing,” Nico answered. He followed Michael inside, finding he stood inside a carpeted floor. He moved to the doormat immediately and watched as Michael crouched down to untie his shoes.

Michael removed his shoes onto the shoe shelf just beside the door. Nico did the same. Then he followed Michael whose pace was leisurely but long. He’d forgotten that Michael Kahale had always gone at his own pace, and it was normally others that took his lead.

“I’m back,” Michael said. The tone of his voice was softer, but it would have taken someone who actually bothered to notice to hear the distinct difference. Michael collapsed in the middle of a big couch as his arm spread against the top. Sitting at one end of that couch was… Connor?

No. Travis.

Travis had his knees up, holding a fluffy couch pillow, half his face pressed into it. He was oddly cute, which was odd to Nico. He had thought that perhaps Travis might be into men too, but he’d never really cared to ask. Considering that Travis was in Michael Kahale’s home could only mean one thing.

“How was work?” Michael asked while his arm laid on top of the couch’s backrest. It looked as though he was close to enclosing his arm around Travis’ shoulder.

“Okay.”

“Oh yeah?” Michael said as he sat forward and stripped off his jacket. “I’m going to shower. Can you take care of the Ambassador?”

“Hey Nico,” Travis said without even gazing at Nico. “It’s been awhile.”

“Yeah,” Nico said absently as Michael Kahale walked past him. “It has.” Travis nodded, seemingly lost in another world.

They were like this for a good few minutes. Nico stood where he was between the hall and the living room. Travis sat in the same position with his face buried into the pillow. There was something wrong with this picture. The expression on his face was something Nico recognized, only much less hurt.

Nico slowly approached Travis. Then he cleared his throat once he got half-way to Travis. Travis’s eyes drew up towards him. Nico continued in his normal pace and stood in front of Travis.

Kneeling down on one knee Nico stared into Travis’ eyes. “It would seem Michael is very confident.”

Travis scoffed. “He’s always confident. He’s Roman.”

“What’s that got to do with it?” Nico asked right away. He knew it was going to come up so he was ready to ask.

Instead Travis looked Nico right in the eyes, something few people did when it was Nico, and asked, “How far did you and Will go?”

“None of your business.”

“But you two were together.”

“No we weren’t.” It died before it started.

Travis nodded, as if Nico had just answered another question except the one that was actually asked.

“There were things said and unsaid,” Nico finally conceded to tell Travis.

“Really?” Travis glared. Nico quirked an eyebrow at Travis in response. “Because for Will a lot of things were said by you, and it hurt him, and he… he didn’t know how to deal with it. Still doesn’t. Truth hurts, you know.” Nico just nodded. He could see behind Travis’ glossy eyes that what Travis was really doing was talking about himself. “When he came back from your apartment he never… He wasn’t the same.”

Nico felt a sudden sense of dread.

“Will’s okay!” Travis blurted out, as if suddenly realizing what could have been taken out of what he just said. “But he’s… he’s different.”

Nico felt himself grow cold. Travis must have too because he shivered. “Different how?”

Travis shook his head. “Not like that.” Nico relaxed himself. “Just that, well…” Travis hesitated. Nico tried to force the words out with his glare but Travis was few of the people who were immune to his silent threat. “You’ll know if you see him again. He said that even if you came back for him, you probably wouldn’t want him the way he is.”

Nico didn’t understand. The confusion must have shown on his face.

Clearing his throat nervously Travis explained, “Because he’s different now but before he left your apartment he said if you ever found it to forgive him for you to find him.” Nico did not remember that.

“Say, Nico,” Travis called to him. He looked back at Travis to give him his attention. “I know we don’t know each other all that well and stuff but…” His voice trailed off. Nico could see it really bothered him.

“Go ahead.”

“But did you feel like Will was playing around with you? Holding your hand and stuff that one time. Or what you two did—or didn’t do!—when you two were at your apartment.” Nico sighed. He was actually moving out of that apartment. He wasn’t sure where he wanted to set up next though. It didn’t matter much.

Considering the question he finally answered. “No.”

“Why?”

Nico shook his head and stood up, walking away. He needed the distance. He also knew that Travis was allowing himself to be vulnerable by trusting Nico. It was his responsibility to answer to the best of his ability to ease Travis’ worry.

“I don’t think his intentions were to hurt me or in your words ‘play’ me,” Nico answered. Travis tilted his head in confusion like a dog. “Given time he might have realized what he was doing and either completely rejected it or tried to accept it.” Travis was frowning more now. He was probably wondering what went wrong with them. Nico didn’t really know either. “His intent at the time was to look for comfort and to come to understand. I did kiss him out of the blue.” Travis nodded in agreement. “My older sister once said children of Hades have a difficult time letting go of grudges, but sometimes I think it is more than that. It’s hard to let go in general.”

“I don’t understand.”

Nico ran his hand through his hair. He hated that no matter what he did, cut it, shave it, it’ll always grow back thick and hard to care for. Shaggy.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do what Will did. Walk away. Let go. I wouldn’t,” Nico admitted in a softer voice. He didn’t want Michael Kahale to be alert of his pain, but he suspected that Michael’s senses were keener than he let on. “I still can’t.”

He couldn’t do it with Bianca, he couldn’t do it with his love for Percy, his hatred for Percy, his need for Bianca, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to with Hazel. He was already being tested with Will Solace walking out and never returning. Some of the things in the last decade hadn’t been all grudges. This was his fatal flaw. Even at his own death or the deaths of others he wouldn’t be able to let go of it all.

There was some kind of understanding in Travis’ eyes then. He stood up and blurted, “Move here!”


	16. The Things We Changed

Will sighed as he approached the EMT with the shivering victim. He hated this. It was Minnesota, dammit, where was the “nice” everyone associated with it?

“What happened?” he asked the first responder instead of the witness. He could tell from the way the girl was shivering, the blood hidden under the wool blanket, and how the EMT tried to shield her that it wasn’t a time to be imposing. He was too damn tired. He needed to find a normal job that didn’t require stress. Maybe doing that coffee shop idea wasn’t such a bad idea. Dammit he was only twenty-one going on twenty-two.

“A man… he was on the train…” the woman stuttered when she spoke. It seemed the EMT wasn’t told anything. She meant the light rail, but most found it easier calling it a train. He felt bothered because the woman was Asian—most likely Hmong. She had a lot of features like Alethea. “He kept… talking.”

Will heard this story a dozen times in the last couple months. They got a lot of calls from people of a man who would appear out of nowhere, or some such things. They normally only needed someone on the line with them, the police operator usually. None of the cases ever resulted in this though.

“He was following me, and then he grabbed me and he…” the woman’s voice was lost. She wasn’t closing up or afraid, Will could tell from the determination in her posture and her gaze. She had too much pride to talk to a white man. She needed her family.

“Whatever you are comfortable telling me.”

“He beat me,” she squeezed out. Her hands clutched together into fists. Her fists were bloodied, so he could tell she put up a fight. “Then this guy… he showed up out of nowhere. I think he had a bat? He was hitting him over and over again and then they just disappeared.”

Will had a feeling it wasn’t a bat but a sword, and it wasn’t a man beating her but a monster trying to hurt her. Most monsters only went after demigods, or their legacies. To his knowledge she was neither.

The woman looked up. “I know you,” she said softly. Will glared down. Suddenly he knew why he thought she shared features with Alethea. It wasn’t because they were both of Asian heritage. It was because the woman was related to Alethea’s mother somehow. “You’re Thea’s half-brother.”

Will bit the inside of his mouth. When Will and Fern brought Alethea back and decided she could attend camp in the summer, they’d also decided she should spend time with her mother’s side of the family. The problem was the discrimination. Alethea didn’t want to wear her brown eye contact, and Will wasn’t going to make her. Apparently everyone else had a problem with it.

“I’m glad she has you,” the woman whispered hoarsely. Then she looked away as a rampaging older man approached them, escorted by Michael Kahale. They’d been something like partners ever since Will made the force and Kahale transferred over from Minneapolis to Saint Paul. Two young police officers put together didn’t happen—ever—but Kahale had strings pulled, or he was a lot older and more experienced than Will thought.

The two code-switched into their native tongue, the one Alethea used whenever she was overly excited or overly angry. He always found it endearing, but when others used it to try and keep him out of the loop it just pissed him off. Will could pick up some of their words though, since Alethea spent the time explaining nouns to him. He knew that a word that was pronounced _“po-lee”_ meant police, and the word for pig in their language was also the slang for police. They were talking about him while the EMT worked on bandaging her knuckles.

“What happened?” the man spoke in a thick accent as he approached Will. Will had gotten used to the numerous ethnic groups set in the Twin Cities days after settling in Minnesota.

Will made eye contact with Kahale quickly to give him fair warning. Alethea’s family did not like him and they became overly aggressive when Will called them out on anything they did to dishearten her.

“Is she your daughter?”

“Yes.”

“She says a man took her, beat her, and that another man fought him off and they both were gone when she managed to collect her senses,” Will reported in a distant tone. He didn’t have to answer the man at all, but he would if it pissed him off just a little. No one wanted their child’s troubles to come off sounding like nothing but water under the bridge.

He could see the underlining worry the man had for his daughter underneath all the hatred towards Will in his eyes. Will understood the Hmong didn’t really like white people, most mistrusted them. Then to have Alethea who was already biracial with an unknown father and someone outside the family as her guardian, then have a half-brother out of nowhere… that bothered them. Alethea’s mother was in no doubt without her resources. She left everything and her life insurance to Alethea for when she came of age and limited access to her guardian. Will had a feeling the family didn’t appreciate that access going to Fern.

It must bother the man that Will was also the one who answered the emergency call and found his daughter with her skirt ripped, bruised and bloody, and pretty much violated.

But then the man took a deep breath and his fists clenched and unclenched as he turned to look at his daughter being cared for. He turned back, “Was she…?” he couldn’t seem to find the words, or maybe the courage to ask.

Will shook his head. “The EMT says aside from blood there are no other bodily fluid.” The man seemed confused for a moment. “Just blood and bruises,” Will amended. Perhaps his English was only conversational.

The man nodded. “Thank you,” he squeezed out, which Will wasn’t expecting.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You were here,” the man said and looked back at his daughter one more time. This time his gaze lingered longer. “You made her feel safe.”

“I don’t understand.”

The man turned to him with a smug-like smile, as if he sort of pity Will for not understanding. “We don’t like you,” the man said. Will tried not to roll his eyes. He knew that already. “But we know you. My daughter was…” the man searched for the word, Will patiently waited, “she was glad you came. Someone she knows.” Will only nodded. “Ab Lis is doing good?” he abruptly changed the subject then. _Ab Lis_ was the name most of Alethea’s mother’s family called her, because it seemed most of them could only be bothered to know how to say “Ale” in their broke English.

Will nodded. “She’s doing well.” The man nodded. “She’ll be visiting next weekend at her uncle’s.” The eldest uncle’s house was the only place Will took Alethea involving her family. Whether there was a lot of people or only the aunt, Will dropped her off for the weekend once a month to let them spend time with her. He wanted her to know she had family.

“I will come with my daughter there,” the man said as he looked at his daughter being treated again. This time she met his gaze too. “Will you stay there?”

“No.”

“We will like to thank you.”

“I’m just doing my job.”

The man shook his head. “No. Stay a bit. We will come.” Then he turned and walked back to his daughter.

“Got a date?” Michael approached him. “William Solace hitting on girls while on duty?”

Will growled. “It’s just Will. You’re worse than Travis and Connor put together.” Michael just laughed at that.

“I need to be,” Michael only laughed harder. Damn if that wasn’t true. Will was tired of this though, after just a few months in. It wasn’t that he couldn’t continue, but all the fight was out of him now. All that need to prove himself better than who he used to be was no longer satisfying. There was no one to see it, no one important anyways.

They spent the rest of their shift getting their report straight, making sure to let the victim and the family know the next steps before they returned to the station.

Will was ready to collapse by the time he was in the house. It was well past midnight. It might’ve been three in the morning. He was just climbing into bed when he heard the yelling and crashing in the next house. Were neighbors always this bad in the city? Saint Paul was marginally better than Minneapolis, Michael had assured him.

Tomorrow when he saw Michael at their barbeque he was going to smack him in his pretty face. This was not the kind of neighborhood he wanted Alethea growing up in.

Gods… Will just wanted to sleep without having a pillow pulled over his head. If only he was a dead sleeper like Alethea. She didn’t wake up to anything. Most of all he didn’t want to constantly wake up afraid it wasn’t monsters but humans that would hurt her.

 

Will was running late. He was supposed to be at Michael’s new house warming party thing two hours ago. He knew that no one was going to say anything, but he didn’t want to be the last demigod there to congratulate Travis and Michael’s official moving in together. What he was worried about was that the children of the Big Three would be showing up, and the heroes of Olympus. Percy Jackson, Jason and Thalia Grace, Annabeth Chase, Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang and Piper McLean was coming. Not to mention Reyna Avila Ramirez-Alrellano, the praetor of the twelfth legion—Michael’s former (-former) commander and chief was also making the trip. 

He parked his SUV and literally jumped out the car. He was about to race up the house when he remembered Alethea was unbuckling in the back. Will rushed back to open the door and let her jump out. She was excited to wear her new boy shorts—Will didn’t really care what kind of clothes she preferred, but they got a lot of odd looks from women at the stores—and her cute suspenders. He had to smile as she fixed the tiny gray trilby hat with her hair pinned up inside. She made a dashing young man actually.

“Are you sure I’ll be okay?” Alethea asked as she stared up at him. Her brown and blue eyes gleamed expectantly.

“Everyone will love you,” Will assured her. And he would probably beat up anyone who judged her for dressing like a boy. “Come on baby, let’s head to the back,” Will said as he clicked the automatic lock to his SUV and headed around the house with her.

“I like Michael,” Alethea said happily. Will rolled his eyes dramatically at her. Who didn’t like Michael? “Not like that!” Alethea pouted as she swatted Will’s hip since that was the only place she could reach.

He was glad to see she was growing at a normal rate and size for children her age, actually. A year ago he had been afraid she was malnourished, which Fern vehemently denied as her satyr and caretaker.

“Then like what?” he teased her with a grin.

Alethea whispered loudly to him, “Because he gives me ice cream for dessert.” Will laughed so hard he almost cried. Wait until she found how that Michael just couldn’t bake to save his life.

They followed their noses to the scent of barbeque, Alethea grinning proudly like she’d just told the best joke in the world. She probably had. He was going to have to tell Michael that secret sometime in the future.

“Look who is late!” Travis shouted, running towards him. Will glared for a moment, Travis was never overly friendly in a welcoming way. Then he turned to the grill and realized why. Travis was seeking refuge from Kahale who was shooting daggers in Will’s general direction for coming up at such a time.

Would there ever be a day Travis Stoll and Michael Kahale weren’t antagonizing one another? He knew they were a good combo. Hades, he’d _seen_ it before. Travis sometimes told Will some pretty mushy things he didn’t need to know his partner was doing—being the “badass” in their department and all. Not to mention it just pointed towards Will’s nonexistent love life.

“What did you do?” He didn’t even wait to ask, even if it was rude not to at least greet Travis. He’d been around long enough to know when Travis tried to play anything off involving Michael. It was futile—and horrible (he could never get his story straight or he would give a ridiculous lie).

“Nothing.”

“Liar.”

Will found himself quirking a smile. Alethea was not able to lie, and she could tell a lie within certain parameters. The problem was that she hadn’t learned to ignore lies. She called everyone out on it which caused her to start fights at school sometimes and Will (proudly) went to the principal’s office to defend her case. Luckily it hadn’t gotten any further than a few scratches and punches on the school playground.

“I can see why you don’t have friends,” Travis grumbled. Alethea glowered, effectively making Michael burst into laughter—which shocked everyone into dead quietness.

“She’s Greek, right?” he heard Percy loudly whisper to Jason Grace at the picnic table. Jason shrugged.

“What?” Will asked them.

“That’s the ‘wolf stare’ that Lupa teaches,” Jason Grace explained with a smile. He nodded to Percy next to him. “Percy’s the only Greek we know who has been in her pack.”

Will rolled his eyes. He told Alethea to go play inside the house and watched her run for the glass sliding door.

“She hangs out with Michael a lot.”

“She could be Roman,” Michael shrugged. As if it wasn’t his fault she was learning to intimidate most of the boys in her class with that predatory look.

Michael seemed to have thought of something and paused, frowning and then meeting Travis’ eyes. Some kind of silent communication went through them. “Which reminds me…”

“What?”

Suddenly he heard Alethea’s excited squeal, “WOW THAT’S SO AWESOME!” He turned to watch as she stepped out as another child with a backpack on followed at a more leisurely pace. The boy was small in size, had caramel skin (just a tone or so darker than Michael), and a golden light brown head of hair.

Reyna exited through the back sliding door behind them.

“What is awesome?” Will asked.

Alethea started hopping wildly. “He’s got battle scars, Will!”

“What?” Michael looked confused.

Will smiled as he approached his little sister. “Battle scars?”

“He got his tattoo just after entering the camp,” Reyna informed them. Michael seemed still confused. Will could collect the kid was Roman from all the excited talking from Alethea. “Meet Ernest Malek El-Amin, the newest member to the Fifth Cohort, and one of the youngest.” She remarked he was perhaps six years old, turning seven. Alethea was already eight going on nine.

“You say that like you’re still the Praetor,” Michael sighed then. Will felt almost dislodged. He’d forgotten Reyna was about their age, she shouldn’t still be with Camp Jupiter. Frank Zhang too. “Hey there kid,” Michael smiled—which further shocked everyone there—as he pet the kid on the head. “Only a year and you’ve already got your mark.”

“Look!” the kid, Ernest, grinned as he shot his right forearm upwards. Most Roman demigods had theirs on the left side, but for some reason his was on the right. Then seeing the lyre, SPQR tattoo, and the burn and cut scars there Will knew what Alethea meant.

 _Battle scars._ He once told her not all battles were with swords and monsters. That sometimes they were with emotions, or with fists, with normal humans, with yourself... Especially with yourself. Sometimes they were visible and sometimes they weren’t, but scars meant something. You survived.

“Nicely done,” Michael congratulated the kid.

“Oh, and guess who I ran into,” Reyna beamed. She waved towards the back door and Will felt everything stop.

Nico di Angelo stepped through the door. Only he was so unbelievably different despite being so similar. Black shaggy hair, dark brooding eyes, he might have grown an inch but who would really know, the skull ring he always wore, the Stygian sword at his waist—it was all the same. Nico was wearing a dark black-gray pair of jeans with black army boots. He wasn’t wearing his usual aviator jacket, just had on a diamond checkered grey V-neck soft tee that encased his body perfectly. He had a cartilage ear piercing that seemed to be some kind of clamp. His hair was a little shorter than Will remembered and wasn’t exactly hanging over his eyes.

Not much changed. Yet a lot has.

“Hello,” Nico said when he stood in front of Will.

“Hi,” he managed to squeeze out. He wanted to run. To just leave… But he decided to ground himself instead. He couldn’t just leave again. Not without knowing that Nico would definitely be okay.

Everyone excessively tried to busy themselves. Will watched as Alethea pulled Ernest along, chattering excitedly as she wanted to hear about his battle scars. Will would have liked to hear about them too. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to know about the seemingly old battle scars of a young child.

“Uh…” Will felt like shuffling his feet out of nervousness. He knew everyone was listening to their conversation even if they all acted like they weren’t. Trust the Stolls to be able to invite all the saviors of both camps to a house warming barbeque.

“Let’s walk,” Nico suggested. He started towards the small garden at the side of the backyard. Will followed him, keeping his hands behind his back. If not he would have them stuffed into the pockets of his jeans and he would nervously be playing with his phone or some such items in his pockets.

“You look good,” Nico commented as he kept his face averted, staring down at the little flowers and vegetation. Will didn’t know what to say to that. Too much has happened in the last few months—in the last year or so. He was different. “You’ve changed.”

“Yes, I have.”

Nico suddenly pulled out his hand and stopped Will. They stood at the side of the house facing the front yard now, hidden from everyone.

Looking rather worried Nico said to him, “I don’t mean you are different.”

“Change does mean different.”

Nico sighed as he leaned against the house. “Travis warned me you would be…” Nico paused for a minute, looking pained to use the words, “different.”

“I am different.”

Nico looked up at him. “You mean not the same.” Will shrugged. Same difference. “Just because you are not the same doesn’t mean you’re different.”

Will gave a dried laugh. “Funny how I would have said the same thing to you years ago.” Only now, Nico saying it to him, wasn’t true.

Nico looked him in the eyes then. “You didn’t say it,” he said solemnly in an even tone, “But you showed me it. I was just…” Nico looked down. He seemed frustrated, his hands clenched tightly before he relaxed. Nico started tapping his finger on the hilt of his sword. _Tick. Tock._

“What?”

“I was just…” Nico paused once more. He looked up at Will. For the world, Will swore he could probably never be more attracted to another man. Not just for the sheer beauty of him, but for the part Nico never bothered to see.

Then Nico found his words. “I was just too stubborn to care.” Will would have laughed, but he didn’t. For some reason what used to be funny or amusing no longer was. Things changed. He’s changed.

“It’s too late now…”

Nico shook his head. “You said I could come find you when I was ready.” Will suspected Nico hadn’t even remembered. The person he had repeated those words to was Travis. At the time he’d sought Travis’ counsel as a friend who was there. Nico had seemed too occupied saying something in Italian—he probably didn’t realize he had been saying anything in Italian—to hear Will when he left a year ago.

“Better late than never.”

“You’re cheating,” Will grimaced. Nico couldn’t just decide to come up out of nowhere in Will’s new, changed life and try to uproot it all.

“I’m changing the rules.”

“You can’t do that.”

“You changed it when you stopped believing in me,” Nico pointed out. His voice was low, quiet, a bit broken and weak maybe. Will wouldn’t have realized it if he hadn’t had such a clear memory of how strong Nico’s cursing, angry voice was. He must have hurt Nico again without realizing. “You chose to let it go, Will Solace. I chose to change it.”


	17. Choose

“What do you mean you _chose_ to change it?” Will found himself shouting. He was fairly certain making someone fall in love with another person against their will was how the Trojan War started. Will ran his hand through his hair, groaning with frustration. “Fuck, Nico, you can’t just come back into my life and decide…” Will couldn’t even find the words to say anything to Nico.

Nico held up a hand to stop him. Will locked onto Nico immediately.

“I think you’re getting the wrong idea, Solace,” Nico sighed. He stood up from where he leaned on the wall.

“What do you mean?”

“Well looking at me now, I don’t think you have this overwhelming need to kiss me or some such thing, right?” Nico pointed out. Will was not going to dignify the question with an answer. He’d done everything for the one year they’d been apart trying NOT to think about kissing Nico, touching Nico, holding Nico… ravaging Nico.

Nico cleared his throat as he scratched the back of his head. How strange to see Nico do something so… normal. Actually now that he thought about it Nico did look relatively normal. He was in more gray than he was in black.

“You chose to let go of what…” Nico’s face skewered up for a moment, as if thinking. “Well, you always referred to it as friendship. I don’t have many of those, but I would like it if we become friends.”

Will thought he would hear the word: _again_. He didn’t.

“I don’t think it is possible for us to just forget what happened,” Will pointed out. Nico couldn’t be giving him some sort of way out. Some kind of hope to have Nico in his life and not let it hurt him so much.

“Well I chose to change your idea that we were ever friends to begin with,” Nico said confidently. Will was so shocked he took a step back from Nico in disbelief. What was he saying? “And obviously you’ve allowed yourself to believe you’ve changed from the guy who used to make me lie in bed for three days. So we’re complete strangers right now.”

“You can’t just change our entire relationship!” Will snapped angrily. He looked around to make sure none of their peers had wandered over. He hissed angrily, “That’s like saying you’re changing history!”

“We were comrades, Will,” Nico looked into his eyes. It was clear he’d thought it through, understood and found a way to cope with his own pain. The pain Will had caused him twofold. “Once a long time ago we fought side-by-side. Then you became something like my primary physician. Once, I helped you on a quest. We fought together to take down a cyclops that had kidnapped Alethea.” Nico paused for a moment, putting an arm out as he took deep breaths and leaned his arm against the wall. He held a hand up to tell Will he was okay. “I don’t normally speak.”

“I know.”

Nico seemed to have rolled his eyes before he turned back to Will. “What I’m saying is, what was done and what has happened had never been between friends. Campers, peers, comrades, maybe.” Nico shook his head when Will tried to speak again. Nico seemed to pause again, probably conscious to pace his breath when he spoke. “So when you left that day…” Nico stopped again.

This time Will noticed it, he’d been conditioned to notice subtle indicators with people. When they wanted to tell more, when they needed to tell more, when they were trying to hide something—Will could tell in the way they acted. Nico wanted to tell him something but he also wanted to hide it.

“The day you left,” Nico said again, “You let go of whatever it was between us.” Nico’s finger went from him to Will and back again. He seemed to be more invested in the conversation that Will remembered. But then again it was _this_ specific conversation that probably had his attention. “As comrades. As campers. As peers. But not friends.”

“I can say we were comrades once,” Will nodded, “In battle.” Nico agreed with a nod too. “Peers, sure,” Will shrugged, “If you were ever around to even be _taking_ any camp courses.” Nico flinched but didn’t do much aside from avert his gaze. “And as fellow campers, I would allow that but you were never around long enough for it to matter at all. Nothing changed. You showed up when you needed to and you left when you wanted to. So yea, we weren’t friends.” Will took a step closer towards Nico. “I was just the guy who wanted to accept you for who you were and give you a place to belong. And you were the guy too busy wallowing in his own misery to ever see that.”

Nico flinched again. Apparently Will had hit him where it hurt.

“And you know something Nico? It still hurts quite a lot, and you just showed up out of nowhere!” Will snapped.

Nico bristled. His cheeks were suddenly very pink as he shuffled his weight between his right and left foot. Will took that as a nervous tick.

“What?” Will asked him suspiciously. Something wasn’t right here. “You’re hiding something.”

Nico made a face, something he normally wouldn’t show others before. “Well…” Nico grumbled as he stepped back a little further towards the wall of the house. Will stepped closer. Nico swallowed nervously. “I’ve been in Saint Paul for over a year now.”

“Excuse me?” Will growled. His eyes sharpened, his senses heightening as he took in every part of Nico. The way he was averting his gaze, his long eyelashes, his downward glance, his nervous stance and guilty expression. It was true.

“I moved to Saint Paul last year.”

Will felt a roar tear through him. He stepped away before he did something to vent his anger, to hurt someone and not something.

“They knew!” Will snapped, turning to look as people drew towards them from the backyard. He pointed at Travis angrily. “You better hope I never see your face after today Stoll!”

“Don’t do anything you’ll regret, Solace!” Michael shouted, taking a step forward from the crowd. Of course it would be Michael trying to protect Travis. All Travis knew was how to fuck up everything else for anyone.

“Shut up Roman!”

“Be smart Greek,” Michael said coldly. He glowered at Travis with that perfected wolf stare the Roman demigods were all so famous for. The one Michael had taught Alethea.

Will felt his knees relax under his weight as he bent them forward, his shoulders bracing themselves. His shoes found their grip to the grass beneath them. He watched the way Michael was contemplating whether to charge at Will or not.

“It’s none of your business.”

Michael cocked a brow at him. “And _he’s_ none of your business,” Michael replied. He held his hand out when Jason and Percy stepped up. Without really trying Michael pushed the two back into the crowd. “You were the one that decided to quit. You gave him up. So don’t start whining like a child. Even children know you either forget the person you let go or you walk back to them with your tails between your legs and apologize. And you had no business with the Ambassador when _I_ found him drugged at a bar.”

“Excuse me?” Will felt insulted for so many reasons he wasn’t even sure he could name them without spluttering out of anger. He took the first step forward and Michael braced one of his legs back. “ _You’re_ comparing me to a child?” Will almost laughed. “This is coming from the guy who fights with his boyfriend every five minutes!”

“Love comes in different shapes and sizes,” Michael replied with a relaxed shrug of his shoulders. “Including dynamics.”

Will laughed even harder.

“Look!” Travis snapped finally. He stepped forward but Will kept his eyes focused on Michael. “You were in the academy at the time, and Nico was liable to get himself killed if we just let him. So we told him to move here! He’s still our friend.”

“From what I just heard I wasn’t even that,” Will snarled. He didn’t give Nico a glance but he could tell the man flinched again. “So why don’t you go fuck off?”

“Maybe when you tell me how screwing Nico goes,” Travis spat back. Will glared at his friend then. If he could still call Travis that for not telling him Nico had been living in the same damn town as him for a year now. “You know, when you actually realize it isn’t your fucking brawns or looks anyone cares about.”

“Is it just me or are they actually using validated curse words?” Leo Valdez asked to the group. Will registered him speaking with Frank in low voices for a mere second before turning back to Travis.

“Stop.” Nico’s hand tightly gripped his arm when he was thinking of charging at Travis and Michael. He stared at the hand and then stared angrily at Nico’s face. “Just stop. I apologize for coming today.”

“What?”

Nico let go of his hand. “I’m sorry, I should have figured even if I was ready to look you in the face that maybe you just didn’t care anymore.” Nico backed into the dim shade of a shadow the house was making that afternoon. “Don’t fight with them. They’re…” Nico seemed to stop abruptly again. “Just don’t.”

“Dammit, wait di Angelo!” Will snapped, trying to grab Nico as he was fading into the dim shadow. He growled and kicked the wall when Nico slipped past his fingers and disappeared. 

* * *

 

Nico made the brisk four-block walk (his shadow-travelling was never accurate when there weren’t enough shadows) to the house he’d bought. Not rented. He didn’t tell Michael or Travis that, but he figured they’d assumed he had been renting it.

It didn’t look like Nico had a job but he did. If anything Nico had too much money with the added “allowances” his father kept putting into his bank account. He had a feeling the money was his father’s way of trying to show Nico was important and cared for. Nico had too much money to spend, but he wasn’t exactly a “live in luxury” kind of guy. It was useful, like with buying the house.

Nico managed to get inside, he didn’t know how. Couldn’t remember. He broke into deep breaths trying to calm himself the moment he was inside.

He locked himself inside his own room, pounding the back of his head against the door as he collapsed onto the floor.

“Don’t cry…” Nico repeated to himself over and over. How could he have thought that Will would be okay with even seeing his face right now? He should have known better.

Nico’s breathing hiccupped when he took a deep breath in. He groaned, knowing it was impossible to stop. His fingers were threaded through his hair, elbows on raised knees. Just trying to think things calmly hurt him. It physically pained him to the core. This feeling was worse than it had been with Percy.

Nico took off his sword holster along with his Stygian sword and threw it against the wall. It crashed into the lamp by his bed.

“Graah!” Nico shouted as he stood up and grabbed the closest thing to him to vault across the bedroom. The second lamp tore out of the socket and flew through the air. It crashed and scattered ceramic and glass shards all over Nico’s bed and floor.

He turned and punched his door for a good minute or so. However long it was to make his fist feel so raw and painful. The physical pain was dulling compared to the emotional one.

Why had he ever bothered taking the chance a year ago? If he’d done what he did with Percy and just kept it in, it wouldn’t hurt so much. If he hadn’t believed somehow it’ll work out—that he could be happy—he wouldn’t feel like the world was crashing all around him. And then to have that… what happened earlier. It was humiliating. It was degrading. It had made Nico want to disappear forever, for everyone to see him like some beggar after Will.

Nico grabbed the small table the lamp had been set on and started bashing it against his carpeted floor. He wasn’t angry, he was mad. He didn’t need Will Solace to love him. Hades, he didn’t even need Will to acknowledge Nico’s feelings. All he needed was what he had with Will before that.

The simple talks. The jokes. The patience Will gave in making Nico laugh or smile. A friend. He knew Will had tried—he always tried, but he never went forward with more than the chances he could steal from Nico in the three days he was ordered into the infirmary. Nico also knew he could had made the effort, but he didn’t. He knew it was as much Will’s fault as his own. He had wanted to amend whatever had been broken between them, maybe even start fresh from somewhere else. He’d hoped that would work—that it would be accepted.

Nico didn’t care if Will had changed himself. If he had cut his hair, learned how to use a gun, now saved people with his muscle rather than his healing skills meant nothing to Nico. He didn’t care about that. Will was still the same guy who glared at him and reprimanded him for being anti-social. Still the same guy who had saw him on Half-Blood Hill in the midst of battle and told him not to kill. Will Solace had been…

Nico shook himself from the thought. It didn’t matter. He didn’t have any of that. Not anymore if at all.

Travis had warned him but he had been overconfident. He shouldn’t have pushed. He shouldn’t have showed up at all when Michael invited him. He should’ve just stayed in the shadows, never…

He pulled off his shirt and threw it across the room into a corner somewhere. He punched the nearest wall—luckily this time not punching through the plaster again. Nico shouted one more time.

When he’d calmed down he was lying on the floor of his room unsure of the time. It was dark. Tears had burned the corners of his eyes and his cheeks. They stung and it hurt to keep them open. He needed to wash his face. His voice was hoarse. Nico’s knuckles were raw from punching random things, the skin had broken and he was bleeding but he hadn’t bothered with it. Gods, he had snot all over his face from crying and shouting.

Nico forced himself up, maneuvering across his crooked bed, the shards, pillows and torn blankets, and wood pieces from the two broken night stands in the room. His clothes were torn apart on the floor. Perfect, now he just gave Travis and Michael another reason to take him shopping and “fix” his wardrobe again. It took enough debating with Travis so he wouldn’t end up looking like some dark-haired Ken doll.

When he finished washing his face he started running his wet fingers through his disheveled hair. His hair was slicked back by the wetness and out of his face. Nico decided he would sleep on his couch since his room was in no condition for his presence.

As he was walking out of the bathroom he heard a knock. Nico dreaded what came next. It was probably Percy or Jason—or both. He let them think he wasn’t in the house, or asleep. They knocked again anyway. Then they kept knocking.

Resigning Nico opened the door.

He never hated Cupid more in his life. The words from six years ago rang in his ears: _“I wouldn’t say Love always makes you happy. Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad.”_


	18. To Hold the Ties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi this is a short chapter. Apologies to people who hate how this played out, and yes it is okay to hate Will's very being at the moment.  
> This chapter is shorter than the last ones simply because originally I was going to write this differently, but decided to write it this way.

“Hey…” Will said quietly. He was wearing a pair of relaxed jeans and a t-shirt. Nico stood at the door staring into the night wondering if he was hallucinating.

“Can we talk?” Will asked. It took time to register, then he stepped aside and allowed Will in. He closed the door. Gods, he never hated Cupid more in his life.

“I was going to go sleep.”

“You mean you didn’t just wake up?” For some reason Will sounded surprised. Almost concerned. Will looked slightly confused now that he seemed to be focusing on Nico instead of the carpet floor of Nico’s living room. “Are you okay?”

Nico didn’t answer. Biting his lip he kept from asking why someone who swore off healing bothered being concerned about his wellbeing. It was a sarcastic and rhetorical question that Nico knew only came up because of how bruised his feelings were.

He turned and sank into the couch instead. He was still too raw and aching from earlier. Nico was certain if Will came to reject him again he would cease to function completely. It was hard enough trying to move on, he didn’t need it harder by trying to piece himself together from dust.

“Your eyes…” Will said as he approached and lifted Nico’s face into the light. Nico almost winced because the concern in his eyes were so genuine. It was like he was staring into the face of the Will whose only concern was making sure Nico didn’t kill himself. The one that cared enough to wait around for him.

“They will be fine.”

Will’s thumb brushed over the sting and Nico sucked in a hard breath. “You’re not okay, Nico.”

“Why are you here?” Nico asked, slapping Will’s hands away. He kept his face from Will’s general direction. “Pretty sure you weren’t interested in what I had to say.” 

* * *

 

Will sat down next to Nico, collapsing really. He was too tired. He was glad he was on vacation for the time being. Alethea was sleeping over at Michael and Travis’ because she wanted to play with Ernest still. He wasn’t too worried since Reyna was there as well. He would have used worrying for Alethea (Travis was still one of her bitterest enemies) as an excuse to not come do this now.

“You said something about being friends,” Will sighed. Gods he hoped he’d gotten that right. When his mind finally cleared—which took Percy Jackson nearly drowning him (and it was very easily done with so many lakes in the area) and Jason Grace dropping him from an immeasurable height (at the time) and catching him before impact—for him to regret what he’d done and most of what he said. Granted he was pretty sure he couldn’t just _fix_ the problem.

“Pretty sure you sunk that ship,” Nico commented. He wasn’t looking at Will but at the wall.

“I’m sorry,” Will sighed heavily. He needed to do this or he wouldn’t be able to move on. “And I know seeing me right now is probably…” Will bit the inside of his mouth. As if seeing him again at all was what Nico wanted. Just hours ago he’d straight up rejected all of Nico in front of a dozen people. Even Connor—who was normally rather playful—had been disappointed with how he handled the situation. Hell, he was.

“It’s hard.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t,” Nico said with a tone in his voice that dictated authority. It didn’t ask for understanding it demanded listening. Nico stood up from where he sat, moving around to where the TV hung off the wall, pacing the space. Will had never seen Nico impatient. Not like this, where he was a nervous wreck that couldn’t sit still.

“Nico, you need to sit,” Will said. He should be suggesting not saying anything. That thought was enforced with the glare Nico sent his way.

With a low, dangerous voice Nico spoke, the cold in the air stirring. Will could foresee the danger in allowing Nico to continue being angry. “It’s _hard_. Seeing you. _Hiding_ from you. Trying to… Trying to fix something that I know _I_ broke.” Nico took a deep breath, running his hands though his semi-dry hair. The chill receded just a bit but Will could see the shadows in the room growing. Nico was close to hitting his destructive powers.

Nico grabbed at his black muscle shirt, pulling at the bottom on it angrily. “I’m trying, really hard to be accepted. I can’t just _let go_ the way everyone else does.”

Will felt like some sort of understanding had just clicked in his mind, but he didn’t know what.

“But I’m trying to change that. I’m trying…” Nico looked away, taking a deep breath through his nose. Will felt a sudden urge to stand up and go to him. Nico was repeating something in Italian again, mumbling to himself and drawing away from Will as he approached.

Nico held a hand out to keep Will away. Will forced himself to stay three feet away from Nico. He knew he wasn’t exactly the person to be comforting him.

“I’m trying to be someone people can love, Will Solace,” Nico croaked out the words. It looked like Nico was ready to break down.

Will felt everything fall apart in him. The words ringing in his ear: _“someone people can love.”_

“My clothes, my house, me…” Nico pointed at himself again. He looked down at his own attire and Will looked at them too. Nico was still wearing what he had been hours ago, except the V-neck. “But no one wants to be with a guy who hangs out with the dead.”

“Who told you that?”

Nico shot him a glare. “I don’t need to be told to know.”

Will shrugged. “Changing who you are won’t solve anything, you know.”

“You did it,” Nico responded. “Didn’t you?” He took a step towards Will, looking into his eyes. “You changed yourself and decided I didn’t matter. That was your solution.”

Anger got the better of him. He pushed at Nico’s shoulder, forcing the slighter man to take a step back. Nico glared at him, Will glared back.

“I didn’t _decide_ you didn’t matter, Nico. You _told me_ not to put you between this so-called ‘friendship’ last year!” Will yelled. How else had Nico expected Will to interpret those words when he was finally able to wrap his head around anything? “You said you loved me but that you didn’t want to be my friend.”

Nico’s punch didn’t come as a surprise, the speed at which it came did. Will backed up a step and would have raised his fist to retaliate but held himself back. A part of the fact was that he could never hit Nico intentionally.

“Who in Hades would want to be your friend when they’re in love with you?” Nico shouted. His voice sounded raspy and broken. As if Nico had been screaming so much his voice was used to it.

“You actually _want_ to be in a relationship with someone who has hurt you?” Will yelled back. “Would someone who was so stupid and blind that he didn’t even know whether he was in love with you or just wanted to play around with you have been worth being in a relationship with? Were you that desperate?” He groaned as he twisted away. There he went saying things he shouldn’t say, things he didn’t mean to say.

He needed to control his emotions. Especially the ones that had him clenching and unclenching his fists. He took a deep breath in and let the breath out slowly. After his veins stopped pumping violently he turned back around.

Nico’s face turned into one of complete disgust. His eyes narrowed on Will, his dried lips turning into a snarl. “As of right now you’re just somebody I used to know.” Nico’s fists were shaking, as if he was holding back from hitting Will again. Will wouldn’t stop him. He deserved to be beaten up and quartered for the pain he caused Nico. “The Will Solace I knew might not have been good with a bow and arrow, he might have been just about adequate with a sword, he was exceptional at saving people by healing them, he might’ve been insecure and not as capable or reliable as you are…” Nico stopped talking, his snarl turning into a growl of warning, “But don’t you dare insulate the person I love was without honor.”

Will was speechless. He searched Nico’s face for some kind of indicator, something to give him a clue as to how to respond. Nico was unwavering. He approached Will and grabbing him pushed him back until he hit the wall.

“Son of Apollo, head counselor of cabin 7, healer, brother…” Nico listed the titles for Will to him. At least the ones he could claim when he was still with Camp Half-Blood. 

* * *

 

Nico took a deep breath to steel himself. He made the choice to say it, and he would. There must be no mistake if Will understood one thing from tonight. He just needed Will to know one important thing.

“Do you know what you—the Will Solace that I love, were to me?” he asked, and he knew Will would shrug and look away from him. Nico grounded his teeth angrily. He grabbed Will by his short hair and pulled his head down to kiss him.

He delve his tongue in, touching each teeth in Will’s mouth. His tongue slid across Will’s, intertwining with it for a moment before Nico pulled his own tongue back into his mouth. He bit on Will’s lower lip as he gently pulled away.

“Whoa…” Will gasped quietly.

Nico tried not to prickle with pride. He knew he was a good kisser, but Will was rather honest about it when most people tried to act coy.

Nico almost choked on the last words he was going to say. The last words, if ever, he wanted to tell Will Solace. _His_ Will Solace. This was the choice he had wanted to change. What he chose to change so that it would be the same, preserved, unbroken—healed. Existent.

“You were my place to belong,” Nico finally managed to squeeze out. He felt like those seven syllables had wrung out all the oxygen from his lungs. It felt so painful, a burning kind of sensation as if he’d just run a hundred miles without stop or rest.

Will stood there very still. For a moment his eyes didn’t move, and then they were shooting right and left as he surged forward. Will grabbed Nico’s face with both hands, pulling his face up to look at it. As if he was suddenly able to see the cracks of Nico’s wall he kept up to guard himself.

“Please don’t be lying.” Will’s eyes were still searching left and right. Nico cold feel the trembles echoing against him from Will’s hands.

Raising his hand up, he covered Will’s heart. He felt the hard and rapid beating of the other man’s heart. Felt scorched by the sheer heat of contact with him.

“I promised myself never to lie.” And that was the truth. Nico might never say the truth but that didn’t mean he lied. He valued the truth and honesty.

Nodding Will seemed preoccupied with his thoughts and searching Nico’s face. “Dream?”

“If this was you really think I’ll have punched you?” Nico asked him.

“I deserve more than just a punch,” Will replied. His thumbs moved back and forth. It was the softest and sweetest caress Nico had ever felt against his skin. Like Will was afraid Nico would break apart if he wasn’t careful. “You should’ve torn me apart, di Angelo.”

Will made a sound between a whimper and a moan as he looked away. Nico realized he was shaking from holding back. It physically hurt Will to want Nico.

“Why are you hurting?” Nico asked softly.

Shaking his head Will pulled Nico closer, making Nico reach towards Will’s height. “Because you love me even though I’ve hurt you.” He heard the unsaid words: _‘but I can’t love you back.’_ “So many times.” Will shook his head as if chastising himself for his wrongs.

“The first few were unintentional,” Nico added. If anything Nico had been a miserable self-loathing broken child a year ago. He was still in that battle, still is, with love. He learned a long time ago how to “conquer” love but he had thought he could do it differently. He couldn’t.

Will almost laughed for a second then cleared his throat. “You can’t just choose to change things Nico.” He blinked only to realize why he had. Will’s tears were dripping down onto him. The powerful man was staring down at him, tears falling, shaking with sheer will not to tear away from him and walk from the pain of being so close to Nico—from needing Nico close and wanting him afar.

Reaching up Nico hugged Will Solace. “I can choose to forgive you,” he whispered. Then he stepped back, tearing himself apart from Will. “I can choose to believe the Will Solace I love is still the same someone standing here now, however different you might act.” Will shook his head, rubbing the tears from his eyes. From experience Nico knew the tears would still come down. “And I can choose to be your friend even though I love you.” _Because you hold my heart and I could never let another person have it if you ever give it back to me._

Will shook his head. “I can’t just…”

Nico stopped him. “Will, you once said you didn’t want to lose your friend again. That you didn’t want to see me walk away.” Nico remembered those words. Very well. Nico put his cold hand on Will’s heated cheek, feeling the wetness of his tears. “So don’t choose to walk away again.”

They stood there together, waiting for the other. Nico knew he wouldn’t speak again until Will had said something. It was Nico’s ultimatum. There was one last chance. To be friends. To be able to stay together. For Nico to belong and Will to collect himself. It had to be Will’s decision. Nico also could tell, the way Will kept squeezing his hands into fists, the way his shoulders slightly shook, how his knees bent a little to keep him from wobbling—Will was looking for strength.

“Then can I stay?”

It was the most ambiguous question Nico had ever heard come out of a mortal’s mouth but he still answered, as if striking a silent oath, “Yes.”


	19. Friends Again?

Will didn’t want to wake up. He’d never felt that vulnerable before. It was difficult to open up at all. Nico hadn’t even had to pry it out of him. He just sort of took it. Then somehow—Will couldn’t quite remember from breaking down—they went to sleep. He remembered not wanting to wake up.

Then he turned over and hit the floor with a loud _thud._

“Solace get off me!” he heard Nico growl right by his ear.

“Nnn…” Will groaned. He didn’t want to get up. Nico was oddly soft despite all the muscle Will could feel. “Don’t wanna.”

“Get off me!”

With a resigned groan Will grasped enough consciousness to move. “Hold on…” Will lifted his knees onto the floor and pushed his weight off Nico. Then he rolled over against the leg of the coffee table.

He felt a blanket get draped over him. He cuddled into its warmth. It smelled like Nico so he knew it wasn’t the one he’d used for the night.

“Stop sniffing it.”

“Don’t wanna.” Will pulled the blanket over his head and went back to sleep.

* * *

 

“Hey, Solace when are you going to get off my floor?” Nico was nudging Will’s back. He groaned from the slight soreness the way Nico’s toes were digging into the crevice of his shoulder-blades. “It’s already past 10. What are you going to do about Alethea?”

“She’s at Michael’s…” he mumbled, rolling onto his stomach. Sleeping on the floor reminded him that he had way too much muscle tension. He needed a good massage one of these days.

“Meeting the new first cohort legionnaire?” Nico asked him. That got Will awake. Wasn’t he in the fifth? He groaned as he rolled onto his elbows and knees, waited for the blood to start pumping through his back and then stood up.

Rubbing a hand over his face to get the sleep, or as much as of, off him Will yawned. He stretched and then asked after another yawn, “What do you mean first cohort?”

“Ernest El-Amin was supposed to be in the first cohort of Camp Jupiter,” Nico explained.

“How?” Will asked. Nico raised an eyebrow. “Well, the first cohort, if I remember right, is prestigious, rich and snobby. Like Augustus.” Will noted how Nico didn’t seem to react to what Will and many Camp Half-Blood demigods called Octavian. Will called the deceased centurion that sometimes too, and scorned the fact he had his own damn statue in New Rome to commemorate his memory. It was unbelievable what the Romans did. As if he’d deserved anything like Thalia’s Tree to preserve his memory or life.

“I believe there was a dispute over sponsorship,” Nico said noncommittally. Will got the feeling Nico was involved in that. Ambassador of Pluto and all that.

“What happened? What’s so great about an Apollo kid?” Will asked.

“Aside that he’s the youngest to ever enter the Twelfth Legion, he’s also the only one that age to take a little over a year to get to Camp Jupiter,” Nico explained. It seemed Nico had read up on his Roman demigod history. Will watched Nico walk to the kitchen and followed him. “He was meant for the first cohort but he chose the fifth.”

“Let’s talk about the sponsorship thing,” Will wrapped it back around.

“It’s not rare to have families competing to sponsor someone in New Rome,” Nico explained to him with a shrug. Will still wasn’t convinced. Something was peculiar about this situation. After the silence as Nico set a plate of food on the kitchen island for him Will took his seat on a stool. Nico stood across from him, stabbing at the fruits on his plate. Will didn’t miss how meager Nico’s plate of fruit looked compared to the pancakes and eggs with sausage on his.

“What’s the catch?”

“Octavian’s family wanted to sponsor him.”

Will was in the middle of drinking water and almost destroyed his lungs trying to swallow his water down. “Why?” he strained. He had a feeling it was because Michael was no longer in their grasps. There was a distinct reason the Twin Cities were the _Twin_ Cities. Minneapolis was bustling Roman, and Saint Paul was laidback Greek. Granted neither side knew the other was in anyway representations of that until more recent years.

“Ernest means a great deal to Michael for reasons unknown,” Nico shrugged. Will didn’t recall hearing about any child in Michael’s life, so that must have happened before Michael’s unusual transfer to the SPPD. He was unusually good at handling Alethea, and had that wistful look in his eyes when he was with her sometimes. Perhaps it was because of Ernest.

“Child of Apollo, too perfect to pass up,” Will commented almost sarcastically. It was well known just how perfect Apollo thought he was, although Will’s father tended to be the one rehashed for his many transgressions. At the current place in time Apollo was now serving his one-year sentence of employment in Camp Jupiter.

“It seemed to have to do with Apollo working at Camp Jupiter for the duration of the year,” Nico commented. Will figured as much. “As much as Ernest meaning something to Michael. Octavian’s family suspects Michael allowed Octavian to foolishly kill himself. They’ve been waiting for years now, honestly, to find a way to ruin him.” He had a feeling that meant emotionally and not financially.

“Vindictive _and_ ungrateful.”

Honestly, Will didn’t care if what he’d just said was about his own supposed Roman siblings. The fact would always be that Octavian was someone that disgraced those who were children of Apollo. The only consolation was that Octavian had been a descendant, not a direct child.

Nico stabbed a half of a strawberry with his fork and ate it whole. The slight pink left on Nico’s lips were rather enticing, and that bothered Will. He needed to get a hold on his libido—which he’d previously thought he had control of. Friends didn’t think that way about friends.

“Reyna as well as Frank were fighting to sponsor him, but monetary power leaned towards the Apollo legacies. They also had the favor of _being_ related to Apollo,” Nico was telling Will. It was so surreal watching Nico eat his fruits and actively converse. It was like a dream. “Then there was this issue where Percy and Annabeth wanted to sponsor him, and Jason too.”

“So what happened?”

Nico paused everything for a second. It seemed he was thinking about his next words carefully. Nico cleared his throat but lowered his head a bit more.

“What?” Will asked, taking note of how Nico’s hair was semi-dry and slicked back.

“Hazel called me.”

“You?”

Nico nodded.

Will was starting to get the picture. “The Ambassador of Pluto sponsoring a child of Apollo?” That sounded almost impossible. “How’d you convince anyone to let you? Octavian’s family has precedence considering they’re Apollo’s legacies.”

He waited and watched Nico shuffle between his feet and eat a grape by picking it up with his fingers. Will knew it wouldn’t take much for Hazel to convince Nico to help. He was more interested in the how.

Clearing his throat and taking a drink of his water Nico stood straighter. “My annual income is more than that family’s combined.” Nico peeked his eyes up at Will, wincing just the slightest before he even saw Will’s expression.

It took a moment for Will to grasp what Nico was telling him. He felt his jaw go slack but then closed it tightly again. All he could manage was a rough, “Seriously?”

Nico winced more visibly this time. He hadn’t meant it to come out as judgment or disbelief. He knew Nico came from some money, seeing as he was the only child of Hades and had gone through so much. He didn’t have any personal opinion of Hades, but not much could be said. The gods didn’t usually make it a point to announce when they were in the mortal realm.

“Mine and Hazel’s combine,” Nico rectified weakly. Will marginally relaxed until Nico said, “Convinced them we were more than enough to sponsor him.”

“Again, why and how?”

Will still couldn’t grasp his head why Ernest Malek El-Amin deserved so much commotion. Perhaps he felt cheated. Alethea was a child of Apollo too, granted on the Greek side. She didn’t receive such a commotion.

Nico must have read his thoughts clear on his face. He patted Will’s shoulder before drawing his hand back and saying in a softer tone, “Alethea has Fern and you, and many others to support her.” Yeah, sure, but it was difficult and hard. Fern had legal custody of her and Will lived with her (with Fern also under his lease, though the satyr was here and there now and then). Alethea had an entire family but none of them wanted her. Ernest had people unrelated to him fighting to sponsor him and it sounded like a difficult process.

“The short of it, Michael apparently called in a favor sometime last year,” Nico finally conceded him that much. Will needed more, to know what interest Michael had with Ernest at all. “Things happened, I’m sure Kahale would do better with answering your questions. Just so you know it was difficult to receive the sponsorship for Ernest, there were quite a few forms and no other surviving legacies of Pluto to have already put a leg into the door.”

“So money trumps blood.”

Nico sighed loudly. Will rarely ever heard an audible sigh from Nico. “All I know is that because Frank and Hazel are to be married, and seeing as Frank is a son of Mars and a legacy of Neptune, as well as a former praetor, he has enough status to carry a campaign and sponsor Ernest El-Amin for it.” Nico’s eyes were calm and calculating, watching Will’s response. He didn’t respond, merely stared back just as boldly. Nico went back to eating his plate of fruits right away.

“What is your job?” Will asked.

“Ambassador of Pluto.”

“You get paid for that?”

Nico put his plate in the sink and turned to Will. Will went back to eating but peered up at Nico. There was a strange look in those dark eyes of Nico’s as he watched Will pull the fork from his closed mouth. Suddenly he realized he wasn’t the only one having a problem with his libido. Nico was just as troubled—perhaps more. Being just friends again was going to be difficult.

Intentionally chewing slowly he watched Nico’s gaze follow the movement of his jaw then drop to his throat and follow his Adam’s apple as he swallowed. He saw Nico’s eyes quickly flick back to his lips when he purposely opened it just a little to lick his lips clean of syrup and crumbs. Will felt his entire body buzzing with heat.

_Calm down._

“So?” he prompted.

Nico looked jarred and a bit dazed. He searched for his response and said finally, “No.”

“So what’s your job, the one that pays you enough to make more than Octavian’s entire family of Apollo legacies?” he asked. He watched Nico tap his finger on the top of the counter.

Nico wasn’t testing his patience, he was testing how to answer. He had the answer but he was afraid to give Will an answer.

“Well?”

“Necrodegmon,” Nico cleared his throat as he said it. Then he coughed. Will saw that as a nervous habit that people did when they were admitting something they’d been hiding.

“Necrodeg…” Will was repeating and then stood up from his stool immediately. His fork and knife clattered onto the top of the counter. Did Nico just tell him he worked for _the_ Necrodegmon Funeral Homes, International?

“Seriously?”

“I’m not in any high position,” Nico replied, “But… well my father does own the business.” As if he was going to believe that for a second. Nico obviously had a high position to be paid so much.

Will sat himself back down before he found himself collapsing. Nico di Angelo, _Necrodegmon_ … of course he should have realized that would be connected to Hades somehow. It was one of few names (not very popular to say the least) that Hades was classified under.

Checking online was easy these days, and following the times was easier—but being unique was what made them stand out. Not only was the “necro” for death easy to search online about and _seemed_ sophisticated, the company was known for accepting and doing any cultural funeral as well as burial.

“What else?” he found himself asking. He shouldn’t have, even if he’d known Nico had another job.

Nico looked nervous to add this time. Will urged him with the wave of his fingers.

“Dis Jewelry.”

Will really was going to topple over. _Another_ major corporation, and this one was known to be one of the most competitive jewelry stores internationally. Will wouldn’t have known either if he hadn’t been hearing one of his FTO complaining about the engagement ring he’d gotten for his fiancée.

“Anything else?”

“Uh…”

Will glared him down so Nico finally answered him. “Chthonic Counseling.” This time a death counseling hotline/firm? Will felt like his mind was going to explode. What was Nico’s position in each company exactly and how did he even find the time to do whatever he was doing at such a carefree pace?

“I’m mostly just an adviser to most…” Nico said, his shoulders lifting over for an extended shrug. It seemed he was rather bashful about the fact that he had a lot of money—and how much money he had. Not to mention he was one of the most successful and talented demigods Will knew.

“And how did you get those jobs without a degree?”

Nico’s face heated up immediately.

“Ah!” Will smiled. Suddenly he knew Nico had hid some truth again, this time because he was ridiculously embarrassed by it. “You graduated early didn’t you?” Nico shrugged, trying to seem noncommittal. “Don’t try and fake me out, Nico di Angelo,” he leaned his elbows onto the island and towards Nico. Nico’s face turned even redder.

“You graduated early too,” Nico grumbled.

“I graduated two years early, spent two years trying to be a paramedic. I am certified. One year in the police academy, and here I am now,” Will pointed out. In other words he wasn’t as successful. Nico’s face scrunched up. “What about you?”

“I got my degree when I was eighteen,” Nico cleared his throat. He ducked his head since he was embarrassed. Abruptly Nico grumbled, “When you’re done eating can you leave? I have to clean up.”

“Clean up what?”

His face went red again. Will nonchalantly picked up his cup of water. He’d been expecting a moment of silence again. That wasn’t what happened.

“I trashed my room.”

Mid-swallow he started coughing. Covering his mouth with his hand he tried not to spit the water back out but rushed to the sink to cough out the water. Some of it came out of his nose. Turning on the faucet he washed his face and took a hearty drink from it.

“You’re joking, right?” Will turned to face Nico standing just behind him at the island counter.

Nico shook his head.

A sense of urgency went through him. He walked out of the kitchen and started looking for Nico’s room. He knew the guest room wasn’t it (Nico had tried to make him sleep in it yesterday), and the room across from it was a bathroom with only a toilet and sink. He walked down the hall instead as Nico stepped out of the kitchen. A nagging feeling told him none of the doors in the hallway led to Nico’s bedroom.

Will moved back into the living room. In a smaller area he found something of a hallway. One door was a bathroom with a bathtub—a rather big one. Another had its door closed.

“What are you doing?” Nico demanded. He wasn’t quick enough as Will opened the door and stepped in.

When the lights turned on he saw the mess. Well, he said mess but it was like a storm had passed through.

“I know I overreacted a little,” Nico mumbled behind him. He could hear the uncertainty, the fear of judgment in his voice. He heard it in the voice of the victim yesterday too. Heard it a lot when he was questioning others with his former FTO. 

* * *

 

“Overreacted?” Will was gaping at the disaster of Nico’s room. Nico felt shame heating his face, he didn’t even want to look into his bedroom. Will stood there accessing the damage, leaning forward and to the side to look at the destruction. The shards of what used to be lamps were all over the floor and the bed.

Then Will finally said, “Damn whoever broke your heart must’ve been a giant asshole. You should’ve trashed his car.” Nico hadn’t understood what Will was saying, then realized what Will was doing. He smiled at Will who glanced down at him with a wryly smile of his own.

“I’ll let you know when I plan to trash his car,” Nico laughed. Suddenly it felt as if a burden had been taken off his shoulders. That Will hadn’t made such a big deal with how Nico broke down made him feel better. That Will was willing to even make a joke over it instead of fret over Nico’s questionable state of mind made him glad they were… _friends._

“Mm…” Will made an uncertain noise and a wincing face. “I would help you steal his car but as a respected cop I’ve got a reputation to uphold.” Will then grinned at Nico as he carefully stepped into the room. That uncertain grin would’ve made Nico think he was serious but then he waggled his eyebrows, telling Nico that if he ever wanted to trash Will’s car he was free to do it any day. He would probably even help Nico.

“Right, can’t be seen beating up such a nice SUV and all.” Nico rolled his eyes at Will. Will made a drastic “you wound me” gesture by putting his hand over his heart. Nico didn’t laugh. It would only encourage the theatrics—although he didn’t mind them. It felt a lot like the times when Will just sat with Nico and talked about everything and nothing.

“Totally.”

Will bent down and started picking up the broken night stand pieces. Nico watched as Will simply began to move the large pieces of broken furniture and proceeded to remove them from the room. Then he returned with Nico’s broom and dustpan.

“Hm…” Will hummed as he looked at Nico’s broom.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Will started to sweep the carpet filled with ceramic and glass shards. He either picked up the shredded fabric of clothing and threw them on the haphazard bed or kicked them to the side as he did this chore.

There was a good silence for some time. Finally Nico asked, “There’s something you want to say. What?”

Will shrugged. “Alethea prefers the straw broom from this one Hmong store.” Nico felt like punching him in the face now. Was he purposely being cocky? So what if Nico didn’t care about what he owned. He saw something useful and he bought it. Did it matter what someone “preferred”?

“You have a vacuum?”

“No.”

Will just nodded as he continued to brush the shards towards the dustpan. Then suddenly he sighed and looked up at Nico.

“Okay, tell you what,” Will announced abruptly as he dropped the broom and walked over to Nico again. He kicked the dustpan aside as he put an arm around Nico’s shoulders and ushered him out of the bedroom.

“Let’s just watch some TV like friends are supposed to do, maybe call Michael and Travis over with a vacuum,” Will suggested in a chirpy tone. Nico followed him with hesitant steps. He didn’t want Will to notice that he was still not fine with Will’s sudden decision. He wasn’t… he couldn’t just _be_ okay with his bedroom. Yet he followed Will out, ignoring the state of his bedroom and what had been the physical representation of his heart, because Will was giving him a chance to be friends. He has witnessed what it was like to be estranged from friends. Things did not end well and there was more misery there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FTO = Field Training Officer  
> A police in general needs a senior officer to be their FTO for about 3 years in their service. In an earlier chapter Will mentioned "Michael" as his partner, but Michael is only about a year and a half (or so) into his 3 years of training with his own FTO. In other words both of them actually answered the call that night Alethea's cousin was attacked, both FTO was elsewhere. I'm suggesting that by the time Michael is finished with his 3 years and Will is finished with his these two are actually set up to be official partners. So far they're just good coworkers.


	20. Hot and Cold

Will had woken up with tears steadily streaming down from his eyes. At first he hadn’t been sure why he was crying in his sleep. Then he saw Nico leaning over him with an expression slightly too familiar. Worry. Fear. Heartache.

Then his dream came back to him. The reoccurring dream he’s had since finishing the quest to bring Alethea to Camp. The one with Nico. The one where Nico was kissing with Travis—even though Travis was with Michael. Where Alethea was in some kind of dream state as a teen and couldn’t come back home. Where he watched Nico sitting on a porch of a house with this relaxed smile as he watched kids running around in the yard. Moments Will had believed he would never see because he and Nico had nothing together.

Will could barely look Nico in the eye.

“Are you hurt?” Nico asked hesitantly. He shook his head as he sat up where he laid. “We were watching TV,” Nico started to chatter.

Will could tell Nico had been taken for a spin. “Fell asleep because it was too boring,” Will croaked. He cleared his throat, but that didn’t seem to do anything.

“You were crying, Will,” Nico said solemnly. His voice lowered, it was almost threatening if Will didn’t know better. Nico was mortal just like anyone else, and he had emotions and fears just like everyone else. He wasn’t invincible.

“It wasn’t a nightmare.”

Will waved Nico’s helping hand away as he got off the couch. Everything felt too hot, too tight. He couldn’t stand it. He’d been going through this intensity in heat lately and he didn’t know why. Will went to Nico’s kitchen, fumbled with a cup left on the island and drank the cool water from the faucet.

He drank a few more cups before he could breathe again. He felt the fever hit his back before he turned around. Nico had this dark looming look on his face. One he showed when he put a distance between himself and others. One he was showing Will now.

“Do children of Apollo sleep often?” Nico asked him with a tone of curiosity but suspicious eyes. His voice was cold to Will though.

Will moved closer. The air was getting colder.

He was burning but Nico was ice cold.

“Will Solace?”

Will pulled Nico into a hug.

“Good…” Will sighed with relief.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Will shook his head. “Stay angry,” he grumbled. Nico shoved him but he stood his ground.

“Perhaps I should ruin your car since it’s in the driveway,” Nico growled at him, trying to hold Will at a distance. Will felt like laughing, but didn’t.

“Too hot…” he said honestly, taking Nico’s cold hands and pressing them against his neck. He groaned with pleasure. “Why am I so hot?”

“You slept too much,” Nico replied, pulling his hands away. “You went through an emotional rollercoaster yesterday too.”

“I didn’t,” Will denied, sitting on the stool. He noticed Nico’s raised brow, daring him to try and deny it again. “Okay, but not like you. I mean, I’m _always_ the reason you go through them.”

“Will,” Nico sighed as he leveled his gaze with him. Will found himself staring up where he sat into those dark eyes. Dark like a cold misty midnight. “Yesterday you were caught unaware of my visit, told a bunch of things, found out I’ve been here longer than you expected, confronted me, cried, was shocked by my occupation, saw my room and just earlier you were crying again.” Will didn’t have anything to say to that. It was embarrassing enough having cried. “You need a shower and fresh clothes.”

“Got anything my size?”

The other man’s nervous habit surfaced. Nico bit his lower lip. Without thinking Will’s hand lifted up and he cupped Nico’s cheek, smoothing out the bite with his thumb. Nico looked shocked but quickly stepped away.

“Michael and Travis called earlier, they have a change of clothes for you.” He could see the obvious way Nico averted his gaze, turned his face away and physically pulled away. He felt warm again.

Will forced himself to nod as to not worry Nico. He was the same shirt size as Michael and around the same waist size as Travis. It might be a little tight but he would probably be okay borrowing their clothes until he got back to his house.

* * *

 

Nico sat on the couch with a headache threatening to explode. Michael and Travis had arrived minutes after he finally got Will into the bathroom for a shower. The two started complaining immediately when they saw the state of his bedroom.

He never knew Travis was so… motherly? He should’ve known seeing as when he first “officially” moved to Saint Paul Travis had been all over Nico’s interior design—from his couch to how he did his laundry. Apparently putting in all his clothes into one load was not sufficient enough to clean them.

Michael Kahale was giving him a reprimanding look as he removed all the damaged pieces of Nico’s bedroom to throw away outside. Travis was grumbling as he handled the bigger pieces of ceramic and glass scattered on the bed and floor. The man was making a show of throwing them into a waste basket, while giving Nico an earful about his clothes that had been ripped and shredded.

“Now tell me what Will is doing here again,” Travis demanded as he straightened up with the vacuum. The man wasn’t going to budge until Nico said something.

The shower was still on from the bathroom across from his bedroom so Nico didn’t think Will would hear. “He came to apologize and we’re friends again,” Nico shrugged. He kept his face neutral.

Travis waggled his eyebrows. Nico shook his head. A frown came upon Travis’ face then. At least he didn’t look disappointed or resigned when the issue of him and Will came up. Now Travis just looked… annoyed? Exasperated even.

“There goes my theory,” Travis grumbled. He turned on the vacuum and went to uninhibited shouting over the pieces of torn clothing he had to pick up as he vacuumed the carpet.

Nico tried to relax on his couch but that didn’t work out well. Michael sat down next to him.

“What?” he grumbled over Travis’ vacuuming in his room. Then his bedroom door was suddenly kicked closed and it wasn’t as deafening.

“Thank you.”

“What for?”

“Reyna and Frank told me it was because of you.”

He inwardly rolled his eyes. He didn’t need gratitude or appreciation. Nico paid back a debt.

“Kahale, remember a few months ago when you found me at that club?” Nico said, getting a bit testy. Michael nodded instead of saying a word. Neither of them wanted to bring up how they had to act like some sex-crazed fools to get to his car. “I promised myself if I ever had the chance I’ll grab a leverage over you and make you suffer.” Michael stared at him, realized Nico was not joking, and nodded.

The silence didn’t last long of course because Michael burst into laughter and slapped Nico on the back.

“Who better to owe than the son of Pluto?” Michael chuckled. He grinned at Nico, who for a moment felt a part of him tug—he could see why Travis was so enrapture—and then it was gone. Perhaps it was that charm of his.

Nico didn’t add that he knew he was actually helping Michael. It was a pretense really, because he did not want to see someone the same age as Alethea go through such a harshness in the Roman camp. Michael Kahale was a bit too cold for a child of the love goddess, although with Travis he always seemed to run hot. Nico could not watch someone related to Will become the same as many Romans—closed-hearted.

He’d seen how Michael was very passionate with Travis. It had been—in the last few months he has witnessed their relationship—Travis who kept himself at a distance. Misunderstandings happened, Nico understood that. Travis was in no way a dimwitted person however. It was his own fear of being close that kept him distant and closed to Michael. Until more recently, that was the problem. It seemed Travis was slowly solving his issues and overcoming them himself for the sake of Michael’s passion.

“I have a feeling whatever you’re thinking…” Michael looked at Nico. Nico glared back. “Should be said right back at you.” They stared at each other for a minute but then Nico felt a tug of a smile on his face.

He could see his situation being reflected to Michael and Travis’. Nico didn’t think on it. Didn’t want to at all.

“Ah, how lonely.”

Will suddenly sat down on the armchair positioned adjacent to Nico’s end of the couch. He stared at the wet haired Will. Something was off, and it wasn’t the pouting or that Will was already wearing his clothes (and making them slightly wet too).

“What is?” Nico finally asked because Will had been smiling at him knowingly.

He tried to act as if he wasn’t affected with what Will was wearing. The white t-shirt was slightly wet, teasing Nico with Will’s hardened nipples and his broad chest. The faded jeans he was wearing were just a little too tight, encasing his pelvis and thick legs rather nicely.

“You smiling because of someone else,” Will said with a pretentious tone. Nico wasn’t getting the joke and Michael had on a disinterested poker face. Something must have shown on his face because Will smiled even wider. “Not feeling so special now is all.” He mocked a heavy sigh.

Nico felt a headache attack him. Really? He squeezed the area between his eyes.

“Smooth.”

Nico found himself kicking Michael’s shin for the remark.

“You hang out with Connor and Travis too much,” Will laughed at Michael. He was shaking his head at Michael but Nico could say the same about Will. He could even be labeled the Stolls’ best friend.

“Where are the children?”

“Alethea probably still wanted to be with Ernest,” Will sighed with a satisfied smile. His eyes gazed at Nico, light hitting his eyes just right. That look of his was mischievous, and Nico knew it very well.

“They had a fight yesterday so Reyna’s punishing them,” Michael said with a detached tone. He was staring out Nico’s living room window into the street. Will didn’t seem as concerned with Michael’s preoccupied behavior as Nico.

“Connor was involved?”

“She screamed.”

Will started chuckling.

Nico felt suddenly exhausted. Perhaps because Michael was not overbearing, but Travis and Connor were giant headaches. Adding Will’s amusement made it annoying. Nico was also doing his best not to notice Will’s attractiveness. Unfortunately he did.

He heard Michael recount how Ernest was bothered with Alethea’s constant nagging to hear about his battle scars and “adventures”. The two children had gotten close to a fistfight. Apparently Alethea started screaming and kicking once Connor butt in with jokes to try and save Ernest from being asked to tell his stories. He wasn’t sure if that was what Michael had said (it was the most obvious situation); Nico was more interested in Will’s tight jeans. How does Will’s butt look, he was curious, he really wanted to…

Suddenly Nico felt a hand over his. He glared down and saw Will’s hands covering his own, gripping his fingers. He almost pulled away out of habit, because he didn’t want Will to know how much physical touch affected him. He didn’t because he needed Will to know he wasn’t affected.

“Calm down,” Will said softly.

“What?”

Will pulled his hand away and moved it over to the coffee table. He started tapping with his finger over the glass, and looked over at Nico with a smile.

“What?” Nico asked again.

“You do that when you get impatient,” Michael answered. Nico glanced over at Michael and then back at Will. He was grinning now.

“Or frustrated,” Will added with a shrug. The vacuum in his room stopped. Nico heard some curses from Travis when the man found another torn shirt under the bed. “Not that it’s a bad thing.” Will beamed a smile at him. Nico tried not to think about strangling him.

“Nico you’re cleaning up this mess!” they heard Travis shout from Nico’s room. With no other way to excuse himself he stood up and went for his bedroom.

He felt himself shiver throughout his body. _Too close_. Will was playing with fire. This so-called friendship of theirs could easily break.

What had Nico been thinking? He wasn’t strong enough to do this. He needed to tread carefully, or he was liable to break any connection he had to Will Solace standing on the other side of the world to him.

“Dude if I didn’t adore you I would kill you right now,” Travis was saying. Nico could barely concentrate on Travis’ ranting.

If what happened earlier hadn’t been a testament, Will Solace ran hot. Nico knew he ran cold. It was impossible for either of them to really have anything between each other. Not friendship, not love… not sex. He knew without really needing to know that Will was passionate and wild, fun-loving and joyful. Nico was cold and distant, someone who “moped” when he wasn’t handling a job, and did things on his own. He wasn’t capable of having some kind of support, he wasn’t capable of using Will’s friendship as a crutch.

He thought he would be fine with it but he…

“Nico…” he heard Travis but he couldn’t really focus on him. In fact Travis looked a bit…

“Will-!”


	21. Relationship?

“Hello, _Doctor_ ,” Nico grumbled sarcastically and with a monotone. It’d only been a few days since his unexpected episode.

Will had rushed into Nico’s slightly cleaned room when Travis called out to him. He had expected Nico fading, maybe some Underworld magic, even monsters. He hadn’t expected Nico to blackout.

Nico didn’t bother inviting Will in. He simply moved away from the door and sank into the couch where he’d apparently been lying. Will sighed.

“Should stop calling me that,” Will mumbled, mostly to himself but also to Nico. The other man acted as if he hadn’t heard. Will secured the front door and moved towards Nico’s armchair so he could lean in and stare down at Nico’s face.

It seemed that was the only kind of complaint Will was going to get out of Nico. “How have you been feeling?”

He saw a sudden quirk in Nico’s dark brow. Will schooled his expression well, not commenting on how much that sounded like a doctor’s question. He knew better than to let on that he was amused when he was being stern and unmoving. Especially when it came to Alethea, but he suspected with Nico it was the “give an inch, take a mile” kind of reaction.

“Just peachy,” Nico rolled his eyes up before mocking an airy answer. He waved one hand in the air as if Will would understand the gesture. It could’ve meant anything from ‘I’m under bed rest so nothing to tell’ to ‘I really don’t give a shit but you do’.

Will wasn’t going to tell Nico how freaked out he’d been when Nico had blacked out. Michael had seemed used to it. He’d told Will to take Nico to the couch to lie down, said to put Nico’s head in his lap and something about counting back from a hundred. It was as if Michael had been trained to be calm in the situation. Well, Michael always went around acting as if he’d been through all kinds of situations.

When Nico had gained consciousness again Will’s teeth had been clattering for a good five minutes. He’d kept Michael and Travis busy by asking them to take care of Nico’s room. Neither came out until later so the happy couple hadn’t known just how cold and heavy Nico’s body had been. Nico had made “sleeping like the dead” a literal meaning.

“There’s something I never missed about you,” Nico was saying.

Blinking, Will brought himself back to the present. He cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment. It didn’t happen with others except sometimes Michael and sometimes Piper McLean, but Will seemed to have “daydreaming” syndrome when it came to looking at Nico.

“What?” he finally reminded himself to ask.

“That look on your face,” Nico answered. He didn’t even look at Will when he said it, just pointed at Will’s face as he turned towards the couch on his side so he wouldn’t stare at the ceiling. Will knew that was a form of physical distance when he exposed his back to Will. It was Nico’s way of telling Will to fuck off.

“What look?”

Will had never been told he _had_ a look. Not when he was treating patients or making sure someone tried not to kill themselves. He’d been told many times in his short career as an officer he had a face like a pig though.

“Reprimanding,” Nico groaned somewhere between murmuring and cursing Will. He rolled his eyes dramatically—hating that he spent too much time with the overly dramatic Stoll brothers as he did it—and sighed heavily.

Twisting around suddenly Nico glared at Will. He sat up abruptly and leaned closer in towards Will. “You’re a worrier, Will Solace. Always have been. You’re also commanding and indecisive. When you _are_ decisive it’s very vague for certain people—mainly me. Your worried face also comes coupled with a reprimanding one.”

“Are we talking about things we hate about each other?” Will asked coolly. He’d at least learned to make his exterior more distant than his interior. “The last time we did something like that we went on a one-year break.”

“You can only use the word ‘break’ if we had any sort of relationship to begin with,” Nico growled darkly. His eyes turned even darker, the room going cold. He could tell the man was angry but it was usually quite difficult to put Nico into a rage. Anger was not new to Nico, and at this age he should have control over his emotions.

“Nico…” Will sighed.

“Don’t test me Solace.”

That tone of voice broker no lie. Will knew better. He didn’t act it though.

He opened his mouth and that was the mistake. “Then maybe we should have a relationship.”

Nico’s mouth opened to say something but closed again. Will blinked, suddenly realizing what he’d just said. Wasn’t the whole point of last weekend the reason why they’d decided they could be friends? Because Will didn’t know if he _could_ have a relationship. Not the kind that could reciprocate what Nico _felt_ for him. Will knew he lust after Nico, hell it physically hurt. But to suggest a relationship requiring emotions?

That was impossible.

But he wasn’t going to take back his words.

“What?” Nico rasped. His eyes scrunched up with suspicion.

Will ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t want to admit that had come out without much thought.

“You’re joking,” Nico sneered. Oh he wished he’d been when he said it.

“If it means that I’m _allowed_ to care about your safety then yes, I mean it,” Will grounded out instead. That didn’t sound romantically convincing at all. Great follow-up Solace, son of Apollo, god of poetry and perfection. What in Olympus was he thinking?

“I’m not a damsel-in-distress you need to save, and I’m certainly not some punk kid who needs you to be friends with so he won’t feel left out,” Nico snapped.

His hands were clenching and unclenching on top of his knees, a clear sign Nico wanted to strangle Will. His expression turned so dark and coldly predatory it could almost rival Michael Kahale’s “wolf stare”. Perhaps Nico di Angelo spent too much time with Jason Grace…

“And I _certainly_ DO NOT need to be _pitied_ by you!” Nico stood up as he said the words in a dark, leveled tone. He glared down at Will until Will stood up to his own height. Will watched how Nico’s eyes never left his, following him up as he stood.

“How is this about pity?” Will asked then.

Each word was louder than the next. “Why else would you suggest this? Why else would you, who claims to have changed, call every day to check up, come on the weekend to make sure I’m okay, and act as if I’m still the guy who needs bed rest on ‘Doctor’s orders’ for three days in the Camp’s infirmary?” He was shouting now. Nico looked agitated, his eyes focused nowhere in particular towards Will’s chest. It wasn’t cold but he could tell Nico was angry. He was angry in a different way. Not hate, or madness, or agitation…

He cupped Nico’s face in his hands and pulled him forward, made him stand against Will. He could tell that Nico felt how hot he was for him. Will would _always_ be hot for Nico. The way Nico’s eyes widened suddenly told Will that he felt it too, the undeniable proof pressing against his crotch.

“I might not be able to say that I love you,” Will said truthfully. He could see the hurt and shatter in Nico’s eyes but he also knew he needed to tell Nico this. Knew it was the reason why there was so much hurt. “But I care for you. Not like a brother, and not like a friend. Maybe more. I don’t really know what it is.” Will was swallowing his pride but what was pride to telling the truth. Nico was his friend, but he was more too. Not someone Will could love—Will didn’t know the emotion, or maybe he never bothered. “I hurt though, di Angelo, when I see you hurt. It’s not because I pity you, it’s because I care for you. I’ve never once lied to you—without being caught.” He smiled for a minute, whenever he lied it was always jokingly and it had always been fun-loving.

Nico just stared at him.

Will didn’t need him to say anything.

He leaned down and kissed Nico. Not hot or heavy as he’d done the last time a year ago. Passionate, sure, but it was filled with sincerity. Will didn’t try to put his tongue in Nico’s mouth, wanted it to be purely their lips seeking each other. Nico responded, grabbing the back of Will’s hair and yanking him closer, biting on Will’s lower lip a few times even.

* * *

 

Nico felt desperate. He felt dirty. Slutty. Lusty. He pitied himself. He loved Will too much, needed him too much, wanted him—was desperate for him. His resolve to be friends, to not have this relationship that Will stupidly suggest broke the moment the man’s lips touched his lightly and then pressed harder.

He was content with just grinding against Will’s cock until he came in his jeans. Nico didn’t care. Will just gave him the closest most pathetic straw to grasp onto in this drowning cesspool of unrequited love. He hated the man for it and loved him for it.

Will made it clear all it was with him was lust and a big heart. Love wasn’t in the equation. Friends with benefits? Sex friends? Nico didn’t really care what the term was. Lover. Fucker. Bed partner. Didn’t matter really.

He just really needed Will Solace.

“Busy?” Nico gasped, pulling away from Will for a moment to undo his skull belt. For some stupid reason his brain registered the memory of Travis frowning and disapproving of him buying it earlier in the week. He wanted to share that with Will for some reason.

Before Nico could finish unbuckling his belt Will was pulling him back against him. This time his kiss was possessive. His tongue dominated Nico’s mouth and when he withdrew it, it felt as though Will was sucking in Nico’s.

He managed to pull them apart again. Will’s blue eyes were dilated and the blue that was still there was burning hot like blue lightning. Nico pulled in and kissed Will’s lips and took his time to slowly pull apart from him again. It seemed to give Will a more calming effect and time to undo his belt and unzip his pants.

“Busy?” Nico asked him again, suddenly panting hard. He’d always had control when he was with a sexual partner. Things were always different with Will. Whether that was good or bad he didn’t really care to think about.

“What?” Will seemed to be more focused on unbuttoning his own jeans. Nico unconsciously licked over his canines watching the straining bulge try to burst out of Will’s jeans.

“Busy today?”

Will paused a minute. Nico suddenly felt disappointed. He really needed this time with Will, this physical connection, even if it was a quick thing.

“I am…” Will groaned, his voice was strained and he suspected conflicting emotions warred inside him.

“Then later?” Nico suggested. He was afraid later Will would change his mind.

Will shook his head. “Now. With you. Please…” Will pulled Nico against him again, content for now to rub his erection against Nico’s even though they hadn’t relieved either member from their underwear.

“Later…” Nico gasped before Will pulled him for a kiss again.

Somehow they didn’t end up on the couch but on the carpet. If it had been uncomfortable Nico didn’t bother to care. Will had Nico’s legs bent up and spread. He felt Will’s hands pull his jeans and boxers down in one motion, yanking the bunched up ends and throwing it somewhere in the living room.

“Later we’ll go slower,” Will panted. His head was leaning against Nico’s as he shimmied his own briefs and jeans under his hips and relieved his cock.

“Are you going to try and forget later?” Nico asked as Will wrapped Nico’s legs around his waist. He felt Will start moving, holding their cocks together in one hand and supporting his weight on the other hand.

“Hades no.” Will closed his eyes for a moment, his hand moving and pumping their hot cocks as he rocked against Nico. It felt torturously good. Delicious.

“No?”

“After this I’m taking your house key,” Will said softly. His eyes opened just the slightest, half-lidded. This image was the most beautiful image he’d seen in years. Will staring down into his eyes, those eyes blue as lightning half-lidded, lust-filled, staring down at him as if caressing Nico’s very core. Taking all the shattered and broken pieces of him and making him. Even his sweat dripping in the afternoon light shining through his living room window was…

Shit it was the middle of the day.

“Hey,” Will called him back. As if he sensed Nico’s panic. “I’m going to rush back here later. I want you lying on your bed.”

“I’m not going to…” Nico didn’t finish. He groaned as he felt a sparking sensation pass through his veins. What was Will doing with his hand? Nico hazarded a look and couldn’t believe one hand could hold two erected—rather wide—cocks and still manage to thumb Nico’s tip as he pumped up and down.

Will leaned in and started moving his hips in different motions. Nico felt himself gasp for breath as he rocked with the motion and pushed back. It was simple, just a way to masturbate, and not really different from doing it by yourself but it felt amazing. World rocking.

“I want you dressed when I come back,” Will was rasping. His voice was soft, somewhat paced despite his panting, as he took him and Nico higher in elevation. “So I can take them off. Piece by piece.” Nico bit his lip to stop the groan. He’d never been in this position, of being rocked and in another person’s mercy. He’d always been controlling the situation.

“Hurry…” he gasped. Begged, really. Only he knew Will would never see it as that. Will would see it as an amusing demand from Nico. He could tell because Will had that distinct curve on his lips whenever Nico demanded anything from him.

Will smiled at him, a knowing smile. Then he began to tell Nico what he wanted to do with Nico in bed. In that soft, panting paced tone he told Nico all of his desires. How he wanted to mold his hands against Nico’s skin, kiss all the scars, study every curve and muscle… How he wanted to take Nico in his mouth, learn all Nico’s spots and what he liked. As his thrusts turned rapid Nico felt Will’s urgency and still he kept that paced tone. He told Nico in what positions he wanted Nico in later. Nico thought he was going crazy, delirious with pleasure. He felt himself hitting his peak.

 Then Will told Nico how he wasn’t sure whether he could let someone in him but if that was what Nico wanted he would do it. That took Nico’s breath away. That was a lot to give. Love or not that was a lot. No one just trusted another enough to let them enter during their first time. It filled up his core and he shouted his climax seconds before Will’s own.

They laid there together, Will on top of him, until the world decided to return. Nico never felt more desperate, and dirty.


	22. "Later"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico and Will aren't dating, but they were... something of more than friends? Sex buddies? Bedmates? Sexual partners? Whatever floated who ever's boat. Only, the sex is intense before there's really any...

Later came and went. Nico licked the shower water on his lips. The hot spray felt good on his heated, sweaty skin. The memory of what happened when Will came back—it was late in the evening by then—was stuck in his mind.

Nico didn’t enter Will. Will didn’t enter Nico. He knew Will had wanted Nico to take the initiative and enter him. Instead Nico played with fingering his rim and putting a finger in. That made Will gasp, and he came twice that way.

Nico hadn’t expected Will to take him in his mouth. That had been amazing. He should have told Will not to do it without latex between them. Will probably didn’t care. Nico knew he should have told him safe sex was better. That he hadn’t looked at his test results he got back two weeks ago. He should have. He should have at least shown it to Will—it was the only unopened piece of mail on his coffee table.

Nico ran his hand through his hair as he let the spray run over his head. It felt good, the water rushing through. He normally didn’t take time to appreciate the feeling of a hot shower. Tonight was different. Will had kissed and licked him all over. Except one place. It seemed that aside from fondling his butt he didn’t want to test Nico’s ass.

Nico appreciated waiting for consent. He would have liked it if Will had been less aggressive with his dick earlier in the same manner.

Not that he _didn’t_ appreciate Will’s cock sucking ability. How a previously straight—possibly inexperienced bisexual man could suck cock so expertly was a mystery to Nico. Even Nico had never been that intimate with any of his bedmates. Then again most of it had been about ass play and not cock play in his experience.

Not that Nico didn’t have his experiences, but he’d never been particularly fond of putting someone else’s member in his mouth. He wouldn’t mind the occasional use of tongue to cock to entice his partner though.

The experience with Will’s mouth had been different. Will had been so engrossed it had felt endearing. At first Will had been nervous, fumbled more than once, and it had felt strange. Doing it bare had been different—good but odd.

From the beginning he tried to persuade Will to stop. Will didn’t want to, said he wanted Nico to get off once because Will had gotten off. Nico was going to tell him usually partners didn’t get off at the same time, and that he could handle it himself later.

Nico hadn’t expected to come again—at least not together with Will. Will had been sorely disappointed when he came earlier in their second bout than Nico… twice.

Five minutes with a nervous Will trying to explore cock sucking and Nico had wanted to put a stop to it. It would have been awkward but Nico also knew it would have been a learning experience.

Instead, the moment Nico put his hand in Will’s golden hair to pull his head away was when Will went down on him. He took Nico’s entire length in his mouth without gagging. The few times someone had gone down on him—usually in a bathroom stall—no one had taken it whole the first time going all the way down. It’d been amazing watching those lips going down and up in one stroke continuously.

Nico wrapped his hand around his cock again, finding he needed to release again now that he was remembering Will’s newfound ability to give blowjobs. He licked his lips again, remembering he should have drank some water before taking a hot shower after sex.

He tried moving his hand in motion with the memory of Will’s mouth.

At first Nico had sucked in a tight breath. Will’s teeth had grazed over his member and instinct made Nico fear Will might accidently bite. Then the teeth was gone, and all he could do was hold onto that golden hair and close his eyes tight. He tried not to jut his hips, tried not to tug Will’s head the way he wanted. He knew Will needed to be comfortable with Nico abusing his mouth so he fought the urges. Nico had never felt the need to take someone’s mouth before, but it was Will dammit.

Will’s teeth would sometimes lightly graze his cock as his head was coming up. Somehow he knew Will did that on purpose to get him to suck in a harsh breath, because each time he did it Will’s hand rubbed or pressed against Nico’s abs. As though he liked when Nico’s muscles tightened there.

He was gone when Will’s teeth lightly grazed over his head. Will’s mouth left him, but his hand didn’t. The thumb of Will’s hand rubbed over Nico’s head, massaging it as he blew a cool breath over Nico’s tip.

As if he himself wasn’t, Will had whispered with a tone of appreciation, “You’re uncut,” against Nico’s manhood. Nico bit his knuckle, only realizing then that he’d been holding his mouth closed so he wouldn’t make a noise. He’d done it unconsciously because it had been Will. As though he was still hiding how much he physically wanted the man.

He remembered rasping some indistinct reply. Couldn’t quite remember it himself what he said. Will had smiled though. That knowing smile of his as if Nico had just made another demand like “leave me alone” or “get me another comic” (as if it was three years ago and Nico was still in a patient bed).

Then Will took all of him in that amazing mouth again. It was like the man didn’t have any gag reflex. Will explored the use of his tongue this time. Most first timers didn’t even think about using their tongues until suggested, but then he had to remember that Will had probably done this with women before.

What Will did going up and down with his mouth enclosed around Nico… his tongue curving and licking up Nico’s pulsing vein while he was at it… it drove Nico crazy.

Nico had gasped for breath when Will’s tongue curved over his tip, he turned his head to do so while keeping his mouth on Nico’s cock. Then he went down again, came up and turned his head the opposite way to do the same again. When his entire mouth came all the way down Nico’s pulsing member he opened his mouth just the slightest and his tongue darted out to testily rub against Nico’s ball sac.

Nico groaned from that. Perhaps even whimpered. He wasn’t sure what he did. He was mostly gone with Will’s technique. He couldn’t believe a virgin to sex with men could be this good.

He remembered being taken to the height, to the very peak, nearly over the edge. Nico had resolved to hold on a little longer but Will’s hand that had been kneading his abs suddenly moved down and began kneading his pelvis just above the dark curls above his penis and he was gone. When Nico recollected himself he was staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, his legs wrapped around under Will’s armpits around to his back and Will was pulling Nico’s hand out of those golden locks of his.

“Damn…” Nico groaned. He couldn’t come again. Not on his own while thinking of that. He was just about to turn the spray from hot to cold when he heard a light rap at the bathroom door. Will Solace. The naturally-good-at sex monster.

“Can I join you?”

“If you want a romantic sex scene I suggest you try elsewhere,” Nico spoke in a loud and even voice. There was silence, the only sound was the spray hitting the tiles and his very heated skin. Nico should get out or he was liable to faint from the heat.

“Or,” he heard Will’s voice interrupt as he was going to shut the water, “we can skip the romance and have hot sex in the shower.”

“No,” Nico answered as he turned the shower off. He grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his waist and he stepped out. He stood there as he toweled himself dry with another towel.

“Why not?” Will asked through the door. “We didn’t even do the penetration…” a nervous pause, “thing.”

Nico bit the inside of his mouth. He towel-dried his hair and left the towel over his head like a hood. He opened the bathroom door and evened his gaze with Will Solace standing just outside it.

“You came with one finger in your ass, Solace,” Nico responded to Will with a cold voice. He needed to put the distance between them. Have a line. A way to know where not to cross and when.

“So?”

Nico sighed as he lifted the towel off his head and put it over Will’s disheveled golden head of hair. The man was pouting and those pink, bruised lips from sucking him earlier was very—

Nico found himself pulling back from a kiss before he could finish his thought. Yeah, he wanted Will Solace. Badly.

“You came with one finger,” Nico whispered against those tendered lips. His eyes fluttering down the well-toned muscles of the man who came for him twice so hard and so openly Nico was debating taking him without prepping him at all.

“Yeah…” Will’s eyes were staring at Nico’s lips too.

“So…” Nico slowly ran his fingers down Will’s biceps, down his forearm. Nico imagined those arms wrapped around his shoulders. His hand grazed over Will’s, wrapping into Will’s palm. He imagine Will’s hands clenching and unclenching over his shoulder blades. He swallowed, almost closing his eyes for the barest moment—still looking at those pink, tendered lips—imaging how Will’s nails would dig into his back muscles and scratch him out of frustration and crazy desire.

“So…?” Will whispered against his cheek. They were gravitating so closely to each other. It was amazing the way Will was looking at him. Such an inviting look he was surprised Will hadn’t already experienced other men. Bigger men. Men like Michael. Men who would take him the first chance he showed them his ass. Punishing that well-toned ass, pushing in hard and abusing it and knowing Will would love—

Nico took Will’s hand and pressed it underneath his towel on his hard cock. Will’s eyes moved down immediately, suddenly sharpening to realization. Nico was big, not well endowed but he was still a good measurement.

“One finger cannot compare to this, Will Solace,” Nico whispered against Will’s cheek into his ear. He saw the heat rush up Will’s neck into his face. Nico also felt the way Will’s hand was now rubbing against his cock. He relished in the treat.

“Maybe not,” Will spoke into his shoulder. He felt a suckling kiss there. Will’s teeth grazed over his shoulder before kissing his neck lightly. “I would probably faint from pleasure.” 

* * *

 

Will was way too turned on. He couldn’t believe it took _hours_ for him to get out of Alethea’s uncle’s house. Usually they couldn’t wait for him to leave, and couldn’t wait for when he picked her up on Sunday night. The man and the victim of the assault from earlier in the week did come. Alethea’s cousin. They talked a lot.

Apparently the news that he’d helped out one of theirs who wasn’t Alethea went around the entire family. Uncles and male cousins he didn’t know showed up to talk to him. They said many things about appreciating his work, how it was better to know someone in the force, and how they appreciate that he took in Alethea. Some of the wives approached him and talked to him in broken English—or had daughters and daughter-in-laws translate. There was a lot of advice in taking care of Alethea. He didn’t appreciate that they thought she was too boyish because there wasn’t a woman-figure in her life.

By the time he’d gotten back to Nico’s it was 7 in the evening. He hadn’t eaten dinner but he wasn’t even thinking of that. He was thinking about how he had to work tomorrow morning and how he just wanted to spend the rest of his time with Nico.

Then he walked into Nico’s house and found the man in question walking out of his room taking off his t-shirt. Will stopped thinking and went for him, kissed him, back-tracked him into the bedroom again and had him in bed.

He was a little nervous with getting taken. He was a man. _That_ part wasn’t exactly where anything should be going _in_. He also knew that if anything he wanted to put his dick _in_ something too, and he couldn’t really ask to put it in Nico’s ass and not even consider Nico putting it in his.

Also, Michael had mentioned once about Nico being a “top”. He wasn’t sure what that was, but Michael said it meant Nico was the pitcher not the catcher. Whatever that meant. He figured Nico liked being in charge so it had to do something with Nico taking his sex partner’s ass.

Instead of fucking his ass Nico played with it. At first it was just a lot of butt touching, which Will hadn’t mind. He’d had girlfriends who’d liked touching him there before. He especially liked it when they tugged him closer by grabbing his ass.

He hadn’t expected more than butt fondling until Nico started stretching his cheeks apart and his finger started to…

Will licked his lips as he stared at Nico now. He really wanted to kiss him. What was Nico thinking about, standing there basically naked with only a towel to cover his lower area?

“…Cannot compare to _this_ …” Nico was saying as he moved Will’s hand under the towel. His fingers curled around Nico’s member. He stared in shock, only realizing the protruding bulge underneath the navy towel that was now being held in his hand. The towel was parted and Nico’s member was showing. How the towel was still hanging wrapped around Nico’s thin waist was a mystery.

Will swallowed. He remembered coming twice with just Nico’s finger moving in his ass. Then he remembered exploring with taking Nico’s cock in his mouth. The taste wasn’t exactly something he liked, but he got accustomed to it and didn’t think much about it afterwards. He’d been more focused with how much pleasure he gave Nico the moment he went down on him.

He copied the times girls had given him blowjobs. He also tried a few things on his own. He’d watched some gay porn—whatever he could stomach. Nothing worthwhile. Porn was never worthwhile.

Will loved the feel of Nico’s abs clenching whenever he gave the man some kind of tingling sensation. A bit of teeth here and there, and when he tried swallowing his saliva—and some of Nico’s pre-cum—while Nico’s cock was still in his mouth, Nico went tense. Will thought Nico was going to burst right then but he didn’t. That had been a feat, but he’d also learned something.

He had experimented some more until it seemed Nico was going to break. The man had gone from biting his knuckle to wrapping his legs under Will’s armpit in an attempt to pull him closer, one hand had been in his hair trying very hard not to bury Will’s nose into Nico’s pubes, and his hips shook because he was trying not to rock.

Will hadn’t realize he’d been rubbing the palm of his hand against Nico’s dick while reminiscing. “Maybe not,” he rasped.

Kissing Nico’s shoulder he grazed his teeth against the skin there, seeing the way Nico shivered from the feel. Nico liked it. A little of pain, an anticipation of a bite… He smiled to himself and kissed Nico’s neck. “I would probably faint from pleasure.” He knew he would.

He had swallowed most of Nico’s come in his mouth when he gave Nico that blowjob. It hadn’t been a good taste, but he hadn’t mind. He had liked how Nico’s cock had gone mostly limp by the time Nico realized what was happening and managed to let Will go from his imprisonment of legs.

He wondered after that what it would have been like if Nico had taken him. It seemed that as much as Nico tried to be the cool character, Nico was unbelievably uninhibited. Primal. He would probably take Will hard, fast, and without thought if he let himself. Will wouldn’t have mind, he would have taken it just to have Nico let himself completely go.

Will kissed Nico. Regretting he hadn’t brushed his teeth yet but figured it didn’t matter. He took both hands and pulled Nico closer, rubbing his thumbs into Nico’s hipbones.

“Want you so bad…” Will groaned when Nico broke their kiss.

“I want _you_ more,” Nico said, grasping Will’s butt with one hand. All Will was wearing were Nico’s boxers. He wasn’t sure where his briefs were when they started taking clothes off earlier.

“Really?” he smiled, not expecting Nico to play along.

Instead he was backed up from the bathroom into the bedroom again. He was pushed onto the disheveled bed, laid there and stared at Nico who pulled off the towel around his waist. That amazing cock of his was arching upwards in a curve. Will tried not to lick his lips as he stared. Perhaps he was becoming an addict to cock sucking, because he really wanted Nico’s… in his hand, in his mouth… maybe even up his ass.

Nico climbed on top of him, balls and cock right over Will’s own erection. He bit his lower lip. It was a torturous pleasure. Then Nico started to move, his hips rotating and going forward and backward in a tantalizing motion. Will groaned with pleasure, felt himself going crazy. It was good, but he…

“You can’t touch,” Nico said, grabbing Will’s hand from taking hold of their dicks together. Nico pinned Will’s hands over his head, leaning over him so efficiently the only parts of them touching were Nico’s hands on his wrists and their crotch.

“Why?” he asked after it got too much. He squirmed, but with his position where his knees were bent in a sitting position at the edge of the bed he couldn’t really do much.

Nico’s eyes danced with merriment and mischief. “I’m punishing you.”

“For what?” Will asked, confused now. For a moment his mind was off the torturing pleasure of his lower half.

“Six and a half years, and neither of us thought of having a friends-who-have-sex relationship?” Nico cocked a dark brow at him. Will rolled his eyes. Of course that was going to be his fault too. “As much as I want to fuck your brains out and get the glory of your virgin ass…”

“I didn’t know you were a poet, di Angelo,” Will managed to say in monotone.

“I’ve got a friend who spouts poetry on a regular basis,” Nico smiled with a shrug. That smile did him.

Will was prisoner to Nico’s punishment and Nico’s will at the moment. Seeing that smile, the smile of pleasure and contentment—of Nico _enjoying_ himself? Who wouldn’t give the man what he wanted?

Nico kissed Will’s lips quickly, his slow, paced hip movement changing. He was reversing his hips movements, which was a weird thing to do since Will had adjusted to the original thrust and rotation. Then he was gasping for his breath and Nico was nipping at lips.

“I think getting you accustomed to me will prove for a better orgasm,” Nico whispered into his ear.

Will almost laughed but then he was caught with a groan. His insides were clenching, he really wanted to get off.

“Nico…”

“I know.”

Suddenly it was fast grinding, one hand rubbing their cocks together. Nico on top of him moving. Will couldn’t quite focus with all the need to remember to breathe before dying of pleasure, but he etched Nico’s beautiful, unbound figure moving on top of him. It was almost like watching someone ride a mechanical bull, only Will was the bull, Nico was the rider, and no one else was watching, counting time or had on cowboy hats.

Nico was lying on top of him catching his breath. “Damn, I just showered…” he groaned, both their semen plastered on Will’s stomach and caked on Nico’s when he fell over on Will. “You insatiable ass…” Nico chuckled.

“Me?” Will laughed. He flipped Nico over on his back and pinned the man this time. He ran a hand through Nico’s semi-wet wavy hair. “This coming from the guy who basically just rode me?”

“ _That_ was _‘riding’_ you?” Nico laughed then. Ah, even that laugh was refreshing. There wasn’t anything holding him back at all. It was just genuine Nico di Angelo. “You’ve clearly never been ridden before.”

Will rolled his eyes, Nico rolled his in response. “And you have?” he asked without really thinking of what he was asking.

Nico didn’t make asking about his previous experience anything difficult. He just leaned forward off the bed and nipped at Will’s jaw and kissed up his cheek to Will’s mouth. They kissed until Nico let himself drop onto the bed again. This time he laid loosely, disheveled and looking as though he’d just been ravaged. He hadn’t been.

“And if I had?” Nico asked him with a sly smile.

Okay, Will was pretty sure _that_ smile was illegal. Perhaps impossible. Maybe some Underworld-y magic. Will couldn’t believe Nico had such a smile, such an expression and he’d never known. Just how many guys had his supposedly “gloomy” Nico di Angelo taken to bed with all these secret sexy looks?

Giving up Will asked instead, “Exactly just how long am I to wait for you to take my supposed ass virginity?”

Nico smiled widely this time. That fun-loving smile of his he rarely showed to Will all those years ago. If he’d only known sex was the way to go…

“Why you asking?” Nico grinned. Nico flipped his leg over Will, moving them so quickly he was pinning Will again. He relaxed into the mattress, giving up the wrestle.

“Because I want to ride you,” Will grinned back at Nico.


	23. Together

Will spent the last few weeks between his late working hours, taking care of Alethea and seeing Nico on occasions. It was his first day off with Alethea finally off to Camp Half-Blood, he was going to finally have time alone with Nico. They hadn’t progressed really far with what Will had been hoping for, but Nico hadn’t said anything about it. In fact that seemed to be part of the problem.

Will was, unfortunately, more interested in his bed than he was getting up to meet Nico. He felt a hand patting his back shoulder while he laid on his stomach.

“Sorry, work’s been hectic,” Nico whispered into Will’s ear. He cringed, groaned, turned onto his shoulder and stared up at Nico. “You okay, Will?”

“Yeah,” Will grumbled.

“You were kind of tired yesterday but you still came over,” Nico reminded him. Will groaned louder. He didn’t need to remember about how late he came over to Nico’s and how tired he was he fell asleep. He couldn’t even greet Nico properly yesterday. He needed to remedy that.

“Sorry.”

“You took Alethea to Camp and came all the way back,” Nico brought up as he brushed a cool hand through Will’s hair. He moaned. He loved the feel of Nico’s hands. “You should keep sleeping.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Sleep, Solace.”

“Doctor’s order?”

His body tingled as he sensed Nico leaning over him. A cool breath whispered huskily into his ear, “Nico’s order.” Will put a hand around Nico’s waist and he mumbled something even he didn’t really know what he was trying to say. Nico chuckled though, so he patted his sleep deprived self on the back for that. “You need your energy if you’re going to keep up with me.”

“Don’t remind me,” Will groaned as he pulled away from Nico. He rolled over onto the other side of the bed, taking in Nico’s fresh scent. That side of the bed was still a little warm, but he’d long since realized Nico didn’t run hot the way he did. Nico’s side of the bed went cold within minutes of him leaving it.

“Sulking again?” Nico asked with a hint of amusement and sarcasm. His voice sounded distant. Will figured Nico was walking around getting his morning routines done. If he got up in the morning.

Will rolled his eyes and pushed himself up off the bed. He yawned just as Nico turned around and raised a dark eyebrow at him. He glared back because he knew Nico was silently chastising him for getting up because he was still yawning.

“It’s already 9,” was his own defense.

“You got back at 6:30, Will,” Nico pointed out. He was busy knotting his tie as he walked towards Will. “I’ve got one thing to do today and then I’ll be back. You should sleep.”

“Which job is it?”

“Funeral home.”

“Go figure. What do you actually do there again?” Will asked. He realized except the one time he got Nico to fess up about how he became Earnest’s sponsor that Nico rarely talked about any of his jobs besides as time commitments in his schedule.

“What my father does,” Nico said as if to wave it away. Will just rolled his eyes again as he got out of bed. “He doesn’t have time for it. Shouldn’t take long if I shadow-travel.”

“Ah, shadow travel?” Will stopped Nico from kissing him by grabbing his waist and pulling him back. “You shadow-travel to all these meetings?”

Nico made a face at Will. “I’ve always used shadow-travel.” Will suddenly understood why Nico was near dead each time he returned to camp. The idiot. “What?”

“You’re going to kill yourself,” Will hissed. He groaned as his headache hit him. He was probably going to kill himself too. “You need to rest more than I do if your only form of transportation is shadow traveling.”  Will let out a deep breath, feeling the weight of exhaustion from carrying around his worry for Nico.

Nico tugged his knotted black tie on, straightened it and tucked it into his vest. Will was just in the middle of explaining the dangers of Nico continuing to work himself this way. Then he noticed Nico was wearing a three-piece black suit.

He was standing there speechless when Nico leaned in and kissed him. It wasn’t a quick “see you later” type of kiss most people would give their bed partner. It was the only kind of kiss Nico liked to give—passionate and heated.

“No work tomorrow?” Nico asked him.

Will shook his head, still rather shocked by the image of Nico. He watched as Nico strapped on his Stygian sword with a belt holster—effectively killing that breathtaking image. He let Nico pull him closer, waist to waist hovering each other closely but slowly swaying.

“Then be good and we’ll have more fun later,” Nico whispered into his ear before stepping back. He turned off the standing lamp by the bed, creating a shadow towards the closet and then stepped into it. Even before Nico disappeared completely he could see that using shadow-travel during the night was a difficult feat.

Will stood there like some dimwitted idiot for some time. When he realized he’d been standing there he felt like an idiot too. So he walked out of Nico’s room dragging the feather-down dark navy blue blanket from the bed with him to the couch in the living room.

He stared at the almost Spartan living room. Everything seemed almost not-really lived in. As if Nico didn’t feel welcome, or didn’t need to feel welcome. Aside from the bed not much of the furniture was comfortable. Sleeping on the couch gave one a backache.

Will curled himself into the blanket and laid down on the couch. He wasn’t sure why he felt so cold in Nico’s house when he usually wasn’t able to keep his clothes on because of the heat. Perhaps he only ever ran hot around Nico. 

* * *

 

Nico was in the middle of yanking off his three-piece suit seconds after stepping out of the shadow. It was past lunch, he hadn’t eaten, and he was starting to shake. Telltale signs he shouldn’t continue to use his powers.

Nico looked around and realized he was standing in his front yard. He decided to make his way into the house first before stripping off any clothing he’d already undone.

Just as he was walking towards his bedroom, expecting to find Will there waiting, he noticed the bundle of dark blue moving on his carpet floor. He turned from heading to his bedroom to his living room as he pulled out his shirt and sat on the couch. Will’s golden hair stuck out from the blanket.

“Hey Solace, get off my floor.”

“Uh…” Will moaned, “Don’t wanna.”

“What are you doing, humping my carpet?” Nico asked. There was a moment of silence in which Nico realized he just inappropriately teased someone. Nico never teased anyone. He stood up to draw away from Will.

“Thinking about it,” Will mumbled through the blanket cocoon.

Nico walked into his bedroom and locked the door. He undressed quickly and grabbed the jeans and t-shirt in his closet. He slipped on the aviator jacket that matched his original one from years ago. Nico stepped out of his bedroom just as Will was stepping out of the bathroom with wet hair.

“Going out?” Will asked him with a smile.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll join you.”

“No!”

Nico had already found himself moving quickly towards the front door before he came to himself. Will stood at the other end of the room standing by his bedroom door with wide-eye shock.

Just as he calmed his nerves to turn around to face Will properly, he saw the hardened look on Will’s face. The one that was not the Will he’d known in his youth. The one of the Will he had broken. The fighter.

“What’s up di Angelo?” Will asked him with that hard voice of his as he approached. Nico glared up at the taller man as Will’s hand pressed against the front door and boxed him in.

“We’ve talked about your tone.” Nico did his best not to growl but he did. He didn’t like being intimidated.

“Yeah, we also talked about my overbearing-ness,” Will snapped with sarcasm in his harden tone. His impatience was showing, something the Will Solace in his youth had never shown before regardless of how Nico tested it. He’d found in the last few weeks how many things he found irritating about Will Solace. In fact, he was reminded of reasons why he’d left Camp Half-Blood, sometimes even remembering that in his heart Will did not accept Nico truly.

“Don’t test me Solace,” Nico growled audibly this time. Will just rolled his eyes. Nico knew he shouldn’t try to start another fight, because it was apparent both of them could argue for hours.

“I’m all for the talking and whatever mushy stuff you think we should do, Nico,” Will sighed heavily. Sarcasm was something Will had learned to make very scornful. “But usually it’s just you telling me what to do or what not to do. You know I’m not your personal Ken doll.”

Nico pushed Will away, slamming him against a wall. He felt the coldness prickling against his cheeks but he didn’t care. Nico watched as Will glared back at him.

“The only thing we ever do besides you telling me what to do is fuck,” Will snapped. He felt a prickle against that claim, because he knew it was true. Nico had never told Will why he never wanted to talk more or anything else much. “I’m getting tired of it.” He should have suspected Will would grow tired of it.

“You’re one to talk,” Nico growled. “All you have to do is let something up that-” Nico’s words were cut short when Will rushed at him and grabbed him by the neck, pressing him up against the wall.

“If you don’t want me then say so,” Will growled into his ear. Nico didn’t struggle even though he was dangling three inches off the ground. Then Will released him and let him slip against the wall onto the floor.

Coughing he stood up, feeling a rage in him he’d never felt before. Nico couldn’t understand why until he saw the way Will looked at his own hand. The one that had gripped his throat. The look on Will’s face was one of fear and disbelief.

“I think if you’re not ready to open up then there’s no point in both of us becoming people we don’t want to become,” Will said as he clutched his hand into a fist. He unlocked the door and opened it to leave but Nico grabbed his shirt sleeve and stopped him.

“Want to fuck before I go?” Will asked sarcastically.

“I need air and time to think,” Nico said as he pushed off the wall he was leaning on and walked outside. He took a deep breath in the heat as Will stepped out with him and closed the door. “Watch my back.”

“Sexually?” Will asked him.

“Please, Father send a monster to eat this poor idiotic descendent of Apollo,” Nico prayed out loud. Instead there was silence and nothing else. He made a dramatic sigh. “Don’t worry, that’s how my conversations usually go with my father,” he told Will and continued to walk down the sidewalk. Will followed behind three steps.

They walked in silence. Nico continued walking for a long time, Will diligently followed behind him. Once, they stopped at a park where Nico sat on a bench feeling slightly exhausted. They sat together for some time before Nico got up and began to walk again. Will followed after.

“It’s getting dark,” Will finally said. Nico sighed. It was already dark. It was night. They’ve been out on their feet for hours.

“We should get back then,” Nico mumbled. He looked up at the street to figure out where he was and realized he was already on his block. Nico knew he was walking slower than earlier but he wasn’t sure why. He’d been thinking for hours but knowing Will was following behind him made it difficult to concentrate.

Will grabbed Nico when they walked back inside. “Come to any conclusions?”

Nico bristled. He had to tell the truth. He looked up at Will and was about to say something before his hunger growled. Will broke into laughter.

“Hungry?” Will asked through chuckles.

“Not really,” Nico admitted.

“You should eat,” Will suggested with a wide smile and chuckles he battled to calm down. Nico allowed himself to be led to the kitchen and seated on a stool at the kitchen island.

Watching Will move deftly and accurately in his kitchen was astonishing. Nico had no real memory of Will ever being in his kitchen, and yet it seemed as if Will knew where every item was. If he thought back on more recent events, Will also seemed to know just about everything and its place in Nico’s house.

“How do you know your way around my kitchen?” Nico asked finally, when Will was serving him a plate of stir-fry. How Will managed that feat with whatever was in his refrigerator was magic.

Will just smiled at Nico as he pushed the plate forward. “Why wouldn’t I?” he asked Nico. Nico frowned but he slowly ate the food Will had put in front of him. He wasn’t sure what Will meant with that reply. 

* * *

 

He had watched the entire afternoon as Nico simply walked around. It was strange to see how Nico’s stature no longer reflected that of a moping teenager. Nico’s shoulders were straight without any slouching, and he walked looking forward most of the time. He didn’t try to kick the ground, he walked with a stride of pride. Will could tell Nico had come far from the time they knew each other.

Of course it could had simply been that Nico had only been a moping brooder because Will was around. Who really knew?

Nico ate slowly and almost hesitantly.

Will hoped there was some way to correct this. He knew when Nico wanted to put a distance between them, put up this invisible wall because he was afraid. He also knew why Nico was afraid of being close to Will.

It was embarrassing to admit but in the few weeks together Nico had only enter Will twice. Most other times Nico only used his finger, but it was almost as though Nico didn’t want Will as much as when they originally started. As though Nico had been disillusioned now that he finally had Will.

When it seemed Nico had eaten about half of the portion Will started their conversation again. “If you don’t want me then I will leave, Nico di Angelo.”

“I don’t know what you’re asking me,” Nico sighed. He knew what Will meant, but in Nico’s eyes there was also a hope that Will wasn’t asking him such a thing. It was as though Nico was still holding out for something that wasn’t there.

“I’m not the Will Solace you want,” he said. “The one you imagine about.”

“You’re not an imagination.”

“I’m not. The one you are in love with is,” Will pressed. He watched Nico closely as the man put down his fork and pushed back as far as the seat stool allowed him.

He felt the prickling of ice cold surround him. Nico was getting angry, and it wasn’t just because Nico couldn’t tamper down his anger. It was the kind of anger that formed into a rage. Ice crystals were forming against Nico’s exposed skin.

“Calm down, Nico.” Will was starting to see why Nico needed so much sleep despite all the time he spent using his powers. It was because he was using his powers even when he was angry.

“Don’t tell me to calm down,” Nico snarled. He made a disgusted face as he stood up and backed away.

Will moved quickly, grabbing Nico and pushing him against the wall. He felt Nico between his legs, knowing he had Nico pinned but that all Nico had to do was really fight to escape him. He watch Nico take deep breaths, as if he was losing control over his lungs.

“Calm down!” he shouted at Nico. Nico froze up, looked angry and then suddenly relaxed. “You need to calm down.” Will sighed as he pulled Nico into his arms. Somehow holding Nico against his body felt right. It always felt right even though they rarely slept in bed together. Even when they did they didn’t hold each other, but it always felt so right when they were together.

“Aren’t children of Apollo supposed to be good at spouting nonsense and poetry?” Nico asked, his voice and tone returning to normal. Nico pressed his face down against Will’s neck towards his chest.

“Nonsense, sure,” Will shrugged. He waited a moment until Nico chuckled along with him.

“I don’t like when you tell me to do things,” Nico sighed.

“Manly men don’t like being told to do things,” Will conceded. He smiled when Nico jabbed him in the gut, but he endured the slight pain.

“Shut it, Solace.”

“Can’t di Angelo, I like you like this too much,” Will admitted.

There was silence and then, “Like what?” As if Nico was unsure what pleased Will.

“All compliant and soft,” Will teased as he pulled Nico closer. “Especially if you’re thinking clear.”

“It’s getting hot.”

“I’m getting cold,” Will admitted. He smiled when Nico looked up at him with confusion. “We should go on more dates,” Will suggested as he pulled Nico by the hand from the kitchen. He took him to the living room, kicked the blanket to a corner and moved Nico towards the space between the coffee table and couch.

“A date?”

Will smiled as he pulled Nico close and put his hands on Nico’s waist. “For example, dancing,” Will randomly decided. He moved them slowly to an unheard song in his head. Nico’s hands slowly grasped his waist too. “Going out to the movies. Having dinner. Bowling. Taking a walk.” He listed a few suggestions but smiled when he said the last, watching the way Nico’s eyes lit in realization. “Yes,” he confirmed with a nod as they gravitated closer.

“You think we were on a date?” Nico asked, a bit confused.

He hummed for a minute. “It’s a date if you aren’t having sex and you’re spending time together. Especially outside. It was a nice long walk, by the way.”

“It wasn’t a date.”

“It was a date.”

“How?”

Nico looked so confused and so sure that Will was wrong it was hard not to smile. He kissed Nico quickly before Nico could pull away and then nipped his ear before straightening himself to continue slowly moving each other in a little dance.

“Because I enjoyed my time with you.” He bit back a laugh when Nico rolled his eyes. “Watching you walk, making sure monsters didn’t attack you, and seeing how you spent your time when you needed fresh air…” Will pulled Nico the one step that kept them apart, putting their groins together and smiled, “I liked it a lot.”

“Why?”

“Well, when you’re dating someone…” Will decided to start saying nonsense but Nico jabbed him in the gut. He wheezed for a moment and sat down on the couch. He pulled Nico down with him. “If you don’t want me I can leave.”

“Stop saying that.” Nico stared hard at the television even though it was on. They both look at their dark reflection, staring blankly at it.

“Nico-” Will was about to elaborate when Nico suddenly climbed on top of him and kissed him. They continued to kiss for a long time until Nico pulled away. “Whoa…” He had gotten hard from a single kiss. That was embarrassing and something of a challenge.

“I want you,” Nico gasped before kissing Will again.


	24. the First

Will laid on Nico’s bed exhausted. He’d been ravished. It could almost count as being sexually assaulted, but he knew he had wanted it too. What hurt was probably that Nico’s idea of “want” was as a physical substitute and as an emotional salve.

The words Alethea’s uncle said to Will before he took her to Camp Half-Blood rang in his head. _“A bond that is not strong or true will always break easily. That is why blood-ties are important.”_ Was that why he felt so strongly bonded to Alethea when they’d first met? Still, what did that say about how Will felt towards his other half-siblings?

Will closed his eyes. He was too exhausted, physically and mentally tattered. Nico hadn’t taken him again, but the man did do other things. Not to mention some of it included playing with Will’s ass and dick at the same time. That was just cruel.

Will grumbled as he mentally scolded himself. He knew he liked what Nico did.

When he woke up it was the middle of the night, and he felt it… Nico’s coldness. He watched as the shadows moved and he recognized Nico’s silhouette take shape. Will smelled the stench and found his instinct moving him. He threw off the covers and went for Nico just as the man was falling to his knees.

“Let go…” Nico rasped, using his Stygian sword as a cane to hold himself up. Will picked Nico up regardless and laid him down on the bed.

Will put aside Nico’s death reaper sword and put his hand on Nico’s sweaty forehead. Nico tried to fight him but Will held him down. It took several moments until Nico calmed down and Will was allowed to assess the shadows trying to take him.

“Stop!” Nico groaned as he stripped Will’s hands away. He rolled onto his side breathing heavily. “I will be fine.”

“So you always insist!” Will snapped angrily. He pushed Nico onto his back again and sat on top of him, straddling him. “I can tell from your torn clothes, the smell of blood, and that stench just what you’ve been doing!” Not to mention he knew very well from the story Alethea’s older cousin told him what really happened that night those few weeks ago.

He didn’t wait for a response. Will shouted at him, “You’re not a superhero!”

Nico shoved him but Will pressed down on Nico’s shoulder to keep the man in place. “I know!” Nico shouted back at him. His voice sounded like it cracked, doing something he wasn’t exactly used to doing. Screaming, for example. “I’m not the hero! I know that!”

“Then why are you…” Will didn’t finish his question.

Nico suddenly relaxed, lying underneath Will. It felt strange and unnatural. Nico had always been a fighter, a dominator. It was like he’d just given up.

“Why?” Nico scoffed, his voice breaking still. Will could hear how his voice shook with him. Nico was holding back. Nico was always holding back. “Because this is where _you_ live. This is where Alethea lives. This is where _I_ live. I’m tired of running, of constantly moving from place to place, I’m tired of always going to Camp Half-Blood to find safety!” Nico shouted at Will. “How can you not understand?”

“I understand,” Will said. He did. He just didn’t understand why Nico went about it this way. “But you didn’t have to go on your own. You didn’t have to draw the monsters here. You didn’t have to attack each single one. That’s like asking for trouble.”

Nico’s hand clenching at Will’s bare shoulder clenched even harder. The nails digging into his skin.

“I will kill them. All of them.”

“What kind of talk is that?” Will shouted, shaking Nico. He didn’t understand why Nico was thinking this way. “Don’t talk about killing people or monsters. That’s not what we do!”

“We?” Nico looked at him. His breath was heavy like he just ran a marathon. “Who is we?”

“Me. You. Michael. Travis. Demigods!”

Nico laughed shallowly. He slapped one of Will’s hands from his shoulder and started to sit up slowly. When he got closer to Will his gaze turned sharp.

“Children of the gods of Olympus are meant to be trained into heroes, right?”

“Well… yeah…”

Nico sighed as he urged Will off him. He moved off the bed and as he stood in the darkness he glared down at Will. Suddenly a memory was inching to the front of his mind as he watched the starlight illuminating Nico’s figure.

“My father is Hades, god of the Underworld. He only has a palace on Olympus once a year. I wasn’t meant to become a hero—much less a superhero.” The look in Nico’s eyes gleamed with determination. “But as I told you before. It’s my choice.”

Nico stripped off his shirt and turned back to Will. “So, Doctor, either treat my wounds or lie back and let me fuck you.” Will’s eyes trailed down and then he saw it, Nico’s erection. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen his fair share of arousal after a battle. It was a primal instinct in the human body after fighting to want to procreate as a means of survival.

Will took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He needed to gather strength for this. Right now wasn’t the time to think about dangers, or about other things that didn’t matter like being vulgarly told to be a convenient fuck.

Will leapt off the bed and flipped Nico onto it. Lucky for him Nico never touches the iron bracelet he had Leo Valdez made him. It was still on his wrist so he clicked the button and quickly handcuffed Nico to the bedpost. Just as Nico was about to retaliate he grabbed Nico’s throat and pressed down.

“Don’t think I won’t press down until you lose conscious, di Angelo,” Will growled with an animalistic tone. Detachment—he needed to be detached. He watched as Nico struggled but Will just watched as exhaustion got the better of Nico and he went into a deep sleep. Will let go immediately, checking to be sure he hadn’t actually added more injuries to Nico.

Will decided he needed to get dressed before continuing onwards with treating Nico. He noticed a lot of possible bruising, perhaps internal bleeding and the obvious stab wounds. Firstly he needed to get the materials seeing as Nico didn’t respond too well with ambrosia. 

* * *

 

Nico was suddenly standing in a valley. It was night but he couldn’t see any stars out. The valley looked familiar. Then he realized why. This was the valley Alethea was in that time he had to lead her out of her dream.

He looked around for her but he couldn’t find her. Nico wondered why he returned here in his dream state.

 _“Because only a child of Hades can tell you the truth.”_ Nico heard the voice in his head in clear English. He looked up towards the top of the valley. There stood his long dead half-brother with the long hair and strange clothes.

Nico started to move up towards the valley but the grass suddenly turned into sludge and moved under his feet. He couldn’t advance up the valley. He stood at the bottom of it staring up at his half-brother.

For now he figured he would greet his dead brother.

“Nico di Angelo.”

_“The King of Ghosts.”_

It sounded like his half-brother just laughed but Nico couldn’t tell. All he heard was something of an echo of the wind in his head. Like the voice was being carried into his mind, and not exactly translated but as though they were speaking to each other without actually using a language or words.

_“Spirits don’t often use words to communicate. It’s more of something like our feelings.”_

And still he could _hear_ the words.

_“Because that’s what I want to say being expressed to you.”_

Nico really didn’t understand, but he figured as much he wouldn’t understand. He already knew this realm wasn’t where he should be. He could feel it in his bones.

_“You are quite the prodigy. I see why Father dotes over you.”_

Nico clenched his teeth. Yeah, right a father who never showed up unless you went to him directly? Nico didn’t need that.

_“Father does love his children. Family means a lot to him.”_

Nico let out a sigh he’d been holding in. “Let me out.”

_“Tsk tsk. Such love, brother.”_

“We’re NOT brothers!” Nico snapped.

_“Then is Hazel Levesque not your sister? She, born from Pluto and not Hades? Yet you would deny me, the son of Hades?”_

Nico clenched his fists. He knew better than to aggravate a spirit and yet he was doing just that. When he looked up at the valley’s top to his half-brother all he saw was the same figure standing proudly with his hands on his waist.

“Your name.”

_“Shee Yee.”_

Nico felt something click in his head. Alethea told him about someone with that name. The first shaman.

 _“Yes, the first. Legend says I came down from the skies and fought the_ dab _and banished them from the earth.”_

“What did you really do?”

_“I protected humanity. After Prometheus gave humans the gift of fire. After Pandora gave us plague and suffering but kept hope. After humans became more than we’d been meant to be, how were we to survive without someone to fight for them?”_

“You’re the first hero?”

He heard the wind rush down the valley, and heard an echo in the breeze similar to a light laugh. _“If you must. But I was not the first exactly. You must have learned from your own quests—your own adventures. Heroes who stand alone do not often survive. The very first and his truth is lost in history with the dead.”_

“Demigods are often standing alone in the fight for humanity.”

 _“Listen to you, ‘the fight_ for _humanity’… Tsk tsk. No one_ owns _humanity. My purpose in life was to protect it. When it seemed I was no longer needed I left.”_

“Alethea told me the story,” Nico replied. Although he realized that Shee Yee could read his thoughts—or more like his thoughts were communicated to Shee Yee, he still preferred old-fashion speaking.

 _“The truth is I got tired of it.”_ Hearing those words eerily in his head made Nico shake. The weight of the meaning as well as how he came to hear them both had him stepping away from climbing the valley.

Even though he didn’t say it Nico knew that Shee Yee had understood what he wanted to know. How or why he got tired of protecting humanity.

_“I protected my mother’s people. Sometimes I traveled further to protect others too. After a while you become something of a leader to them.”_

“A spiritual leader. A shaman.”

_“Yes. Shee Yee the First Shaman. That’s what they think of me now. Back then I was a hero. No one there knew about Hades or the gods. My mother also told lies and everyone believed them.”_

Nico froze up. Lies?

_“Because my mother wasn’t married to Father. She returned to her people after I was fully grown, and she had everyone believing I was a warrior from the heavens.”_

Wait. It couldn’t be…

Nico stepped forward. He needed to reach Shee Yee. He suddenly understood why he was here. Why Shee Yee called him here.

“Lies…” Nico breathed. He continued climbing up the valley, suddenly realizing he was running up steps not futilely fighting against sludge.

 _“When you really need it, it’ll be there.”_ It sounded like Shee Yee was smiling at him. Laughing at him much like an older brother would to a younger brother. The experience was strange. He at least understood what Shee Yee meant. In this realm, one had the potential to reach out for anything when they most needed it.

“Tell me!” Nico shouted when he was half way up the valley towards Shee Yee. “Tell me the truth!”

 _“She’s coming…”_ Shee Yee said instead, turning towards the forest and the fog. Nico turned in time to hear a bell jingle. It was like those golden brass bells during the Christmas holidays, the ones they put on the reindeers. He remembered them, because it always carried some strange kind of feeling when he heard them.

The bells jingled again and Nico’s eyes widened as behind him there was a line of people young and old. They were transparent, all wearing similar clothes to Shee Yee or suits and ties. They all lined up around the edge of the top of the valley until they formed a circle. The last one was the most transparent, as if their spirit was still trying to take shape.

“Who?”

 _“I will tell you the truth. I protected humanity but Father had wanted me to stay away. Children of Hades were outsiders even then. We weren’t accepted—we were like a plague to them. Back in those days the human sixth sense was a lot stronger and a part of them repelled us because Father was_ the end _for humans.”_

Nico heard the bell again, steadily getting closer and closer. He wondered why it was becoming to be a familiar sound.

_“I got tired of the lies. The lies people told. The lies my mother told. The lies I had to live with.”_

A voice began to recite: “A child of truth in pools of lies.” Nico turned towards the forest and the fog. Alethea appeared like a sudden ray of light piercing through rainclouds. “The angel’s promise to hold the ties.” She looked up at him and smiled. “The strength of will alone to heal.” She suddenly paused, her smile fading as she looked to the last spirit standing next to Nico.

_“That’s her mother.”_

“What?” Nico turned to face the spirit next to him. Sure enough there stood a long haired woman, she wasn’t very tall but not very short either. She smiled, her baby cheeks brightening the way she grinned. The woman looked at Alethea in a loving manner and then looked up towards the sky. Nico followed her gaze.

The dark night slowly began to brighten. First the stars appeared and then the light washed over the dark blue into an orange-purple sunrise, then yellow and finally it was blue skies and clouds. Nico remembered Shee Yee telling him when it was most needed it would be provided.

Funny how that sounded like a line from the bible. Something he remembered from his older days before waking up in this century. It was something like _“ask and you shall receive”_.

 _“Nico di Angelo, King of Ghosts,”_ Shee Yee’s words brought Nico’s attention back on him. Though the man was shorter than Nico he stood with a powerful and self-assured pose. _“I don’t regret protecting humanity from the monsters and the gods—from the_ dab _. Sometimes that is not all that matters. For look where my descendants now stand.”_

Shee Yee’s dark forbidding eyes smiled down at Alethea. When Nico looked she was still holding her hand out to him. She smiled brightly the way she often did, as if seeing her mother’s spirit didn’t daunt her anymore.

As Nico took her hand Alethea said, “What lies broke a single choice will seal.”

Nico was about to turn back to look at Shee Yee but then a voice from his memory reminded him not to look back. He felt it, the unseen presence of his father holding his shoulders and keeping him faced forward.

“Let’s go home,” Alethea grinned at him as the ray of light from her spread around them until the valley completely vanished. And a part of him remembered the end to that story Alethea told him about Shee Yee’s legend. The last thing Shee Yee had said before he disappeared from the world was that his power would be granted to those who could see the light of his sword in the middle of the valley. 

* * *

 

Blocking the glare of the sun Will woke up next to the unconscious Nico. He did a quick check on Nico’s bandages and wounds, assuring himself Nico wasn’t fading and he was healing properly.

Finally Will sat down at the edge of the bed where he’d been sleeping next to Nico. He sighed heavily, wondering out loud what he was supposed to do.

“About what?” Nico’s voice asked behind him.

Will twisted around to find Nico awake. He was glaring at the iron handcuffs. Will hastily removed the handcuff and changed it back into a bracelet on his wrist. Then he helped Nico slowly sit up.

“So?”

“Ah, well…” Will didn’t really know how to say it. Figuring it was for the best Will decided to say it outright. “I remembered…” but then the words was stuck in his throat.

“What?”

“I remembered…” he tried again.

“Before I die…” Nico urged with a grumble.

“I remembered our first kiss,” Will managed to say finally. Nico stared at him when he said it, his eyebrows crunching as he tried to look for some kind of deceit in Will’s words, in his behavior and from the sound of his voice. Will knew he wasn’t lying so he wondered why Nico distrusted it so much.

“Our first kiss.”

“The first kiss was…” Will found himself covering his face with his hands. He could feel the heat carrying up as he thought about it. Oh gods… how was he going to try to fix this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Shee Yee" is an actual character from Hmong legend, and his name and legend was used for creative purposes only in this story. Please do not take this as an actual recounting of the legend of the First Hmong Shaman.
> 
> "Dab" = spirit, sprite, monster, etc.   
> In essence "dab" is a non-human paranormal/supernatural entity, which is why ghosts/spirits can be and usually are counted as part of its overall meaning. In the context of Shee Yee's words in this chapter, he counts the monsters, the fauns, the nymphs, and even the gods as "dab" as something he needs to "protect" humans from. His reasoning from protecting humans even from the good kind of spirits/sprites is not explained.


	25. Facing the Truth

Will had them sit in the middle of the bed facing each other. Nico wondered what was going on with the guy. Considering how he woke up and how Will didn’t even bother to argue with him getting up and putting on some sweatpants, something must have happened inside Will’s thick head. He stared at Will’s face while Will continued to mumble to himself and chewed on his bottom lips. It was a similar look to the time a year ago when Nico had shadow-traveled them into his old apartment.

“So, if you don’t mind before I die?” Nico said to try and get his attention. Will mumbled something again, suddenly ran his hand through his hair and groaned. “What?” Nico asked, pulling back just a little when it looked like Will would jump on him.

“Can I kiss you?” Will nearly shouted at Nico.

“No.”

“What?” Will responded, looking disappointed. After all they’ve already done Nico probably should have said yes, but he didn’t see why he had to at all. He had a feeling if he did let Will kiss him something ominous would occur. “Why?” Will shouted. “Why not? You never even ask when you kiss me!”

“What idiot asks to kiss in the first place?” Nico snapped back at him in defense. “You just do it!”

“But what if it was their first kiss?” Will asked loudly.

Nico started putting pieces together. First kiss. Kiss. Asking. He tightened his fist so he could hold back from actually punching Will.

“Are you bringing this all up because of our first kiss?” Nico asked. Will was probably thinking of the kiss on the bus.

“Well…” Will’s hand rubbed the back of his neck as he blushed. Nico bit the inside of his mouth to stop himself from saying something potentially hurtful. Will did have an odd sensitive side to himself.

“Are you trying to say that kiss on Bellerophon’s bus was your first kiss?” Nico asked him. There was little amusement to the thought. He knew Will had kissed before from that kiss, because he definitely kissed Nico back. Also, the kiss they had after that before Will left Nico in his apartment definitely wasn’t a newbie’s way of kissing.

“No! Not that!” Will snapped.

For a good long moment they both just defiantly stared at each other. Nico wouldn’t give way and Will was too stubborn to budge. So they sat staring at the other fiercely without saying a word.

With a heavy sigh Will put his hands on Nico’s shoulders. “Just bear with me.” Nico let Will draw them closer and closer slowly. Nico started feeling awkward the closer they slowly got to each other.

“Stop!” Nico shouted as he pushed Will away. He took a deep breath of air.

“Dammit Nico!” Will yelled as he quickly sat up again. He inched closely to Nico as he pulled Nico in by his collar. “Just bear it!”

“Are you stupid?” Nico snapped back. “What idiot would bear it that long?” It was not at all comfortable staring at each other as their faces came closer and closer, and it made him self-conscious for reasons he couldn’t comprehend. Nico tried to push Will back but Will somehow topped him on the bed. “Solace!”

“Be quiet!” Will hissed.

He begrudgingly laid still underneath Will.

Will kissed him, but he was expecting something similar to a year and a half ago. Something overpowering and filled with desire and want. Instead he got one of those slow soft kisses. The sweet kind, their lips touching just slightly and Will kissing his lips and methodically pulling back then kissing him again. It felt familiar, but Nico couldn’t quite remember ever having kissed Will this way before when their relationship started.

Then Will’s hands touched his cheek, as if caressing him and leading him. Nico lifted his chin the way Will’s hands wanted him, as Will moved his head just to the side to better kiss Nico. It was like a waltz but with kissing. It took him back since Nico and Will rarely kiss without using tongue, and it was usually because they were both trying to be the dominant partner.

Will’s other hand moved Nico’s hand up to Will’s chest, just where his ribs were. He wondered why Will wanted Nico to put his hand there.

Just as Nico was about to put a stop to this Will flipped their positions. Now Nico was on top of Will. First he thought he might feel evidence that this was some kind of new play Will was experimenting with, but the man wasn’t hard.

As his eyes slowly cracked opened Will pulled back from the kiss. Will laid underneath him for a moment, again biting his own lip as if struggling with something in his mind. Nico’s urge to kill him got stronger.

“What is it?” Nico finally asked for what he felt was the hundredth time since waking up. He couldn’t figure out why after an entire year and so months Will was flustered over their kiss on the Pegasi Line bus.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?”

* * *

 

Will braced himself just before Nico finally gave him a right hook to the jaw. It didn’t carry as much impact as Nico’s usual strength however, part of that he suspected was because of Nico’s injuries. It was good that the man was learning to be conscious of them.

“I’m sorry,” he again apologized.

“Will Solace,” Nico growled as he sat on top of Will. Cracking his knuckles Nico looked like he was ready to beat Will just over the edge of death and then methodically and slowly kill him with only a toothpick. “Either you start to explain what you’re trying to accomplish here, or I will make you regret trying to defy me.”

Will didn’t doubt Nico could. It bothered him that Nico considered this “defying” him, but he had a constant hunch that Nico wasn’t used to not ordering people or skeletons around.

Holding his hands up as a way of calling truce he managed to get Nico to calm down. For now. Sighing with relief Will closed his eyes.

He could remember it, though it was slightly hazy. In Percy’s family’s apartment he had been lying on the sofa bandaged and fed ambrosia. His memory wasn’t entirely good, but he could recall a very unkempt Alethea fighting to stay by his side.

She slept on his chest as she sat at the side of the sofa watching him. Will remembered waking up and running his hand through someone’s hair. Coarse, a little thick and just too wavy for their own good. Some would describe it as shaggy. It was Nico’s hair.

That kiss earlier confirmed it. It was exactly the same kind of kiss that night. He’d thought it was a strange part of a dream a year ago, so he never said anything about it. It wasn’t right for friends to have those kind of dreams about their friends, and demigods had weird dreams that usually almost signified something else.

A soft, slow kiss on the lips. At first barely brushing, and then intensifying just a little. The pressure of hand on his abdomen moving ever slightly upwards as the body leaned into his. Soft gasps of breath. Will could remember it now.

“Our first kiss,” Will opened his eyes slowly only to realize he had actually been kissing Nico. He was shocked momentarily and held still until Nico seemed to have come to himself and pulled away, sitting up and quickly turning away from Will.

That brief look on Nico’s face just earlier had been one he had never seen before. It was all filled with pleasure and content, but it almost looked submissive too. Like Nico hitting his climax—just that Will recalled Nico’s face during climax to be pretty fierce. The look earlier seemed more accepting, something like Nico letting go and just feeling. A lot like how he would laugh freely those few times they spent time together.

Nico was still straddling him when Will slowly pushed himself up. He kept a hand on Nico’s hip to keep Nico from running. Nico didn’t fight him. Nico was rubbing his cheek and mouth with the back of his fist. Will smiled, knowing Nico was actually trying to hide his easily identifiable blushing face.

“That was how our first kiss went,” Will grinned at him.

“No it wasn’t.”

He had been expecting a denial right away. Of course he didn’t take that as an actual lie, and he wouldn’t really call Nico out on it. However, he knew one of Nico’s greatest pride was not lying.

“I remember it now,” Will said. A simple manipulative method was a lot better than outright arguing with Nico about the truth of the matter.

Nico still didn’t look him in the eye. Will leaned his forehead down onto Nico’s shoulder. He pulled Nico a little closer. “I remember kissing you at Percy’s place. You promised to always be there for me.” Will held onto him even tighter, wrapping both arms around Nico’s hips and back.

“I didn’t…” Nico said but his words faded.

Will smiled. “You did.” Will nipped at Nico’s jawline. “Did you know Nico, that a kiss is a promise?”

“That’s ridi-”

Will flipped Nico onto the bed with him. They laid on their side and stared at each other with the starlight coming through the window. He smiled as he gave a give kiss to Nico’s nose. It was the image of Nico’s beautiful silhouette burned into his memory that helped him finally remember.

“I remember our first kiss just like how we kissed just now. And it was the same promise you gave me. To always be here for me,” Will smiled at him. He moved Nico’s hand to his chest just over his heart. “The purest form of a promise, is that it doesn’t need words y’know.” He chuckled as Nico glared at him.

“I don’t recall our first kiss being anything like that.”

“But I do,” Will smiled still. He ran his hand through Nico’s wavy hair again. “And Nico di Angelo, son of Hades god of the Underworld, keeps all his promises, vows and oaths. Doesn’t he?”

Nico visibly grinded his teeth together before finally nodding. His face was red and it was hard to tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. Will liked to think it was from both. It wasn’t every day Will managed to conquer Nico di Angelo’s ever dominating spirit.

“That’s good,” Will smiled. He quickly kissed Nico’s cheek just by the corner of his lips. “That means I get Nico all to myself.”

Nico pushed him away just then. They were both at the edge of the bed opposite each other, and Will quickly sat up. Noticing Nico’s anger was easy because the room became colder, but it was the heated look of anger in Nico’s eyes that spelled trouble. Nico didn’t often look so heated and still manage to chill a room. It also looked as if he wasn’t actually seeing Will.

* * *

 

His heart raced, then stopped for the longest moments, and raced again. His breath was caught between his lungs and his throat. It was the same symptoms he’s gone through a few times since the war against Gaea nearly six years ago.

Nico could hear the words repeating in his head. _“And you—what have you risked in my name?”_ Nico struggled to breathe but it was like every part of him was fighting for him to hold his breath. As if he was underwater or buried alive. He could still hear Cupid’s words from so long along in his mind.

“Don’t cry…” he mumbled to himself, closing his eyes to block Will’s image from his vision. “Don’t cry…”

 _“Love is not a game! It is not flowery softness! It is hard work—”_ Each time Nico was alone, felt overwhelmed by emotions or… abandoned he recalled Cupid’s words. Each time he had to face Will with his raw feelings he had to be bombarded by those same words, _“a quest that never ends. It demands everything from you—especially the truth. Only then does it yield rewards.”_

Nico groaned as he held onto his head. The words kept bombarding him and he could feel his tears coming down. He also knew Will was worried, seeing him this way.

_“Tell him the real reason you ran from Camp Half-Blood…”_

Nico knew he was a coward. It was why he never went back to Will. Why he always told himself not to cry when he was breaking down. Nico moved his hand and struck out at the lamp on the nightstand. He shouted in agony, because the words wouldn’t stop. Like it was a curse.

“Nico?”

Suddenly the pain disappeared. He was able to breathe again.

How-? He opened his eyes.

Will was holding onto him, hugging him from behind. His hand was bleeding too. Another injury. Will’s hand slowly moved over his injured one, as if to cover up the pain and the blood that reflected what he felt like inside.

“Hey, hey, calm down Nico. It’s okay.”

That soothing tone of his put Nico at ease for a moment. Nico immediately tensed when he remembered the words and his fears. He remembered why he was panicking in the first place. Will remembered their first kiss.

Nico gritted his teeth but pushed the words out. He knew he needed to say them. To finish what he started that night at Percy’s apartment.

“I love you.”

 _“But at least you’ve_ faced _it now.”_

“What?”

“I love you.”

_“That’s the only way to conquer me.”_

“I love you.”

Nico felt his tears running down even more. He couldn’t stop them. As if a great ordeal finally passed, Nico felt relieved to just say the words.

“I love you.”

Nico repeated the words in his heart over and over again.

“Shh,” Will shushed him, holding him tightly to his chest. Nico closed his eyes and held onto Will’s strong body. “It’s okay.” Nico repeated the words over and over. He calmed himself as he listened to Will’s steady beating heart.

“I love you.”

“I know.”

No empty promises. He appreciated that. It hurt him too and yet it was like a salve over his unseen wounds.

“I love you.”

“I know.” Will held him tightly, encasing Nico into his body. “I’m sorry it hurts.”

Nico shook his head. He always knew which part of the prophecy has been about him. This was the promise, and… “I love you.” Nico shook his head, he couldn’t think of it anymore. It was because of that blasted prophecy that things changed for them and he didn’t want to continue having to suffer for it.

Will finally laughed, a quiet soft kind of laugh. “Don’t tire out the words. Sleep.”

Nico held onto him tightly. He didn’t want to let go but at least his tears stopped.

Before he drifted to sleep, listening to Will humming a lullaby he never heard before and the drumming deep in his chest, Nico remembered the first part to Cupid’s last words to him.

 _“I wouldn’t say Love always makes you happy. Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad.”_ It did.

In his dream he saw Bianca, and the memory of Percy telling him she died. He saw the heroic image he had of Percy, and how it became dark and ugly by the news of Bianca’s death, yet still so golden. Percy’s image slowly cleared up as the last six years had gone by for Nico. He saw Alethea’s smiling face. Saw the images of Percy and Annabeth together, and felt envy. Leo and Calypso, Frank and Hazel, Jason and Piper—all his friends who found true love. Nico sighed as he remembered the images of Michael Kahale and Travis Stoll together the times the three of them hung out. Although neither were very romantic, they carried with them something purely known between themselves. Despite all their constant bickering and awkward moments they had that spark.

Moments. Moments that were happy that could make one sad. Nico realized what those words Cupid had said finally meant. It was when you remembered it when you didn’t have it that made you sad. Whether you loved and lost, or because you envied it—you were sad because love existed.

Sometimes even when you are in love it hurt. It was bittersweet. Something like the lasting pain of an old, already healed scar.

When Nico finally woke up he was sleeping curled up in Will’s arms. It was strange because it was the first time since they’ve gotten together that they actually slept together like this. In each other’s arms.

Nico found himself caged in. He didn’t mind however. Like this was peaceful, although his eyes stung. He wondered how long he’d cried yesterday in Will’s arms. It was a shameful display, something he’d never wanted Will to see. It had already been too much when Will saw the aftermath of what he went through.

Feeling light despite those thoughts of shame, Nico decided to whisper the words one more time. “I love you.”

“I know,” Will said right after. He froze up right away because he hadn’t thought Will would hear. Not only that, he realized just how many times he’d said it the night before. Embarrassment was added onto the weighing shame he now carried.

“What, all innocent and self-conscious this early?” Will grumbled as his arms relaxed and Nico was released from his stifling warm prison. Will made an audible sigh and said, “And here I was hoping for some more sex with you desperately in my arms, all wild without any thought of modesty.”

“The hell?” Nico croaked, realizing his throat was too dry.

“Here.” Will passed him a water bottle that was sitting on the nightstand. Will winked at him when Nico looked up at him. Realizing Will was trying to make a fool of him Nico sat up, letting the sheets fall down as he opened the water bottle and drank it all in one gulp.

He felt a hand slowly run up his abs and he almost choked on his water. He glared at Will who was looking very eager as his hands trailed under Nico’s muscle shirt up to his bandaged chest. He had a few scratches but nothing too extreme, so he wasn’t sure if the bandages were wrapped on just to make sure he wouldn’t scratch the wounds.

Then Will’s hands started rubbing and kneading his chest. He felt himself lose strength. He put the water bottle on the nightstand next to him before he dropped onto the bed. His entire lower half decided it wanted to wake up eager now, and Will moved to hover over Nico’s back so he could better grope Nico’s chest.

“W-what are you doing?” Nico managed to ask. He felt the pleasure but he fought it. How this man managed to make him weak to the knees when he wasn’t even someone who liked his nipples stimulated shocked him. “I’m injured you know…”

“True,” Will whispered into his ear. “So I have to be very careful not to hurt you.” Just feeling Will’s presence at his back made Nico’s hair stand on end. That he could feel Will’s harden member rubbing between his butt cheeks was testament to just what Will wanted to do.

Those words Will just said also had a different meaning. “You think you can take me?” Nico defiantly challenged.

“Another time,” Will whispered into Nico’s ears. “Today…” Will’s whisper was even quieter but Nico heard him just as Will’s hand reached into his sweatpants and grabbed his cock. He immediately hardened.

“You’re not kidding are you?”

Will kissed the back of Nico’s shoulder and said something close to, “Mmhm…” as he laved over the curve of Nico’s shoulder.


	26. Space

First Will woke up heated and slightly disoriented, with pain shooting up from his shoulder. Then he rubbed the dried tears out of his eyes. Getting that dream again—the vision of a future, of Nico being happy, of Nico with someone else, and then of Alethea being stuck in some weird dream state—always gave him a headache. Then Will started to remember why his shoulder hurt.

Pushing himself off the floor he fell on he pulled himself up onto the bed. He looked around for Nico who was pushing himself up from lying on his stomach. Will could say that without seeing Nico’s expression, it was very obvious Nico was piss. A better description would be that he was ready to kill Will painfully and slowly… and perhaps coldly.

“I’m sorry!” Will shouted before Nico could start to growl threats out. He moved away from the bed, only then to hiss from getting a cut from the shards of the broken lamp he hadn’t clean up. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” he quickly forgot the fresh bleeding wound on his hand as he turned back to Nico. “I know it looks bad when I was in the middle of it,” he started to splutter out.

“In the middle of what?” Nico asked with a calm tone but a very dangerous calm expression. Nico’s finger was tapping a slow and constant rhythm on the bed mattress. The indication his patience was already being tested. “Not only did you start to strip me and try to have sex with me, I clearly recall having you fall asleep in the middle of fondling my dick, only then to have your uselessly huge body on top of me for the duration of the last four hours.” If looks could kill, Will would be in shreds under Nico’s glower.

“And I’m very sorry,” Will apologized again.

“I think you should leave.”

“No.”

“Fine. Then I will.” Nico got out of bed and stood before Will in glorious nudity. As Will scrambled to his feet and tried to find some way to make him stay Nico’s sudden movement caught him by surprise.

“Whoa.” Taking a deep breath of relief Will inwardly thanked the gods he wasn’t dead. He was lying on the bed now with Nico holding him down with one hand. It was pretty clear Will would lose in a fight with Nico.

“No sex.”

“What?”

“You can’t masturbate.”

“Wait.” Will was confused now. Why was he being told to forgo things someone his age couldn’t possibly consider forgoing?

“If your cock goes into any bodily opening we’re through.”

“That’s a very unhealthy-” Will started to say but was cut off.

“You also need to get tested.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“And I think I’m going to spend some of my free time with Jason and Percy.”

“You’re kidding!”

“Do not contact me until your test results come in.”

“What am I supposed to do until the next time?”

“Endure.”

“You can’t be serious.”

Nico’s eyes turned dead and cold. Will was about ninety-percent sure that Nico was serious, and the other ten-percent being undecided punishment. Well, if someone promised him sex and then fell asleep on top of him for the last four hours Will would probably be really pissed off too. Not to mention it was right after they broke down in their most vulnerable state and confessed to the other person. It was probably less of a payback than he deserved.

“Will Solace,” Nico sighed out heavily. He looked up into Will’s eyes then and moved his gaze to the broken pieces of the lamp on the floor. Will then remembered the wound on his hand, found his t-shirt on the floor and wrapped it around his hand to stop the bleeding. “We need space.”

“That’s a killer line Nico,” Will said honestly in response. Part of him wanted to laugh childishly at the thought of a pre-break-up line being used on him, another part felt hurt by it. “You know I didn’t meant to hurt you in anyway.”

“I’ve suffered through worse,” Nico assured him, which didn’t really assure him.

“And we already don’t get enough time together as it is.” It took a lot for him not to kick the ground with his heel and dig the balls of his feet into imaginary dirt while holding his hands behind his back. It was a very cliché and child-like imagery. Unfortunately the disappointed whine in his voice was notable. He could tell by the way Nico smiled at him like he was trying to cheer up a reprimanded kid he wasn’t being very mature.

“I didn’t think you were the clinging sort.”

“Of course I’m clingy!” Will shouted. Actually he never really thought about it but if he actually thought about it now it was true. “I mean,” and his mind started racing, “I’ve always wanted to be friends with you. I even guilt-tripped you into staying. I have ordered you in sickbed for three days. And we constantly went through that routine for FIVE YEARS, Nico! Then there was the other stuff on the quest…” Will let his voice trail off on that, as they both remembered the events pretty well. “Then there was us being apart until recently. And even after rejecting you I came to your house here anyways to patch things up…”

Nico kissed him all of a sudden. He had a feeling that was done to shut him up but he didn’t mind. His mind was buzzing and he needed to calm down, and that helped.

“I thought you prohibited us from…” Will moved his finger between himself and Nico to indicate intimate interactions.

“I said no sex or self-gratification,” Nico whispered before fully pulling away from him. “Unless you want to try to come by kissing.” That was a suggestion Will was very certain Nico could make a reality. He shook his head vigorously.

“Y-yea, anyways…” Shaken as he was, Will was still trying to list the number of times he clung to a relationship with Nico. “Even how we got together…”

“Was because you care for me, and you hurt,” Nico said calmly. All the anger that Will saw in him earlier had disappeared. It wasn’t exactly something Will had ever really seen before. Nico didn’t just calm down out of thin air. That he was so composed must mean Nico made a decision and he was going with it.

Will felt compelled to say since he was already on a roll on his path of self-destruction, “I know I’m selfish.”

“What?”

“I know I’m selfish,” he said again.

“What?”

“Nico!” Will whined loudly. He put his head down on the shorter man’s shoulder. “Sometimes I wish our relationship was as easy as Travis and Michael’s.” The bottom of his stomach churned in disgust over that thought. Yet he knew he was always selfish, that it was for his own feeling of satisfaction and salvation that they had gotten together at all. That he was worried about Nico’s way of handling certain situations and how Nico reacted to them was because a part of him wanted to claim Nico as his. As a thing, a property, a possession and that wasn’t right and it felt so right. It felt right when they were together, when Nico and he embraced, when they had moments that he knew Nico both loved and hated.

Will knew the state of their relationship could easily crumble away. He could also see that in comparison to the relationship between Michael and Travis (the only other two male couple he could compare their relationship to), that Will and Nico’s fell short of perfect or stable. In fact Michael and Travis made his and Nico’s relationship seem lacking. Michael and Travis had less than half the time of being together and they were going strong, but after so many years and times again and again it was like Will was stumbling blind and Nico was waiting in the unfamiliar darkness.

Nico pinched him on the cheek before wrapping arms around his waist and pulling Will closer. “We’re different from those overemotional idiots with too much time on their hands,” Nico said into his ear. There was a bit of resentment in the tone of his voice. Will almost smiled into Nico’s shoulder, thinking about the times Nico must have suffered being in the middle of their relationship. Sometimes Will and Alethea was dragged into Travis and Michael’s problems too, and sometimes he got calls in the middle of the night from Travis complaining about Michael.

He hugged Nico back. Holding on tightly but not too strongly.

“And unlike us,” Nico said as he let go and pushed away from Will. Will watched as Nico walked to his closet and started changing into fresh clothes. Despite the heat Nico was still able to wear such stifling clothes. Will was used to shorts and a thin fabric shirt.

“Unlike us?”

Nico turned around as he pulled out a rucksack from inside his closet. “Unlike us, Michael’s not the type to shrink away and hide. In fact one of his best qualities is that like Percy, he hates to run and he hates to leave people behind.” For a minute Will pondered that thought.

Michael was similar to Percy in that aspect. Percy would never let a friend willing die. _To save a friend he would sacrifice the world_ —or so it liked to be said around Camp. Will couldn’t quite see that applying to Michael. In the least Michael wouldn’t go that far.

“And unlike us,” Nico continued, “Travis has a one-track mind.” Then he shrugged as he looked up into space to think for a minute—which Will found endearing as it reminded him of the way Alethea would look at the sky and start thinking about something just within her reach. “More like an unchanging end goal.”

Will smiled. Travis and Connor were like that. Despite the roads and paths they might take to get somewhere, they always knew where they wanted to end up. It served as a good thing and a bad thing.

“Even if it takes him a long time, Travis has set his eyes on Michael. He would have found a way to be with the man regardless of the consequences, or where he ended up.” Then Nico frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. He said in a darker and lower voice, the room growing just a little colder, “Travis and Connor are owed for their suffering.”

He knew what Nico meant. Luke. That Travis and Connor would have to experience that pain, to have to lead their own cabin knowing their own half-brother had been part of such a scarring experience must have hurt them badly. That they would have to live with that guilt, their cabin silently carrying that stigma was incomprehensible and all Will could have done during that time was not blame them. Of course no direct blame could ever be given to the Stolls or Cabin 11.

 “Other demigods have suffered worse for far less,” Will said quietly as he sat down on the bed and watched Nico pack his rucksack to visit Jason and Percy. A part of him felt like he was watching his wife pack her bags to stay with her family for a few days because they had a fight. He wondered why he was seeing it that way.

The look he got from Nico said his comment was uncalled for. Still it seemed Nico was going to address it the way he stood up straight. The _tick-tock_ of his tapping finger started again too.

“It’s true,” he said to defend himself.

“And you think that’s alright?” Nico asked him. “That it should be normal that as the consequence of our parents getting together we risk our lives for a meager little bit of acknowledgement?” Will saw the loneliness in Nico’s eyes. The years he spent when he lost his sister, and the years he spent after being with Hazel. The years he spent away because he was afraid to be gay, and then the years he spent away from Will. All of it punched Will in the gut. “No child should have to spend their life proving themselves to their parents. That we have to for the rest of our lives, and that we have to live in constant danger—to be strong or subjugate our life to the attacks of monsters, tells us how much of a broken system it is. And I’m not saying it is perfect or that it doesn’t work, but I’m saying it can be done better. That’s what Percy fought for, what Jason fought for, what _we_ fought for, what Luke fought for…” Nico’s voice disappeared. Bianca’s name was mouthed on Nico’s lips just before he turned away.

Will heard the unspoken words: _What Bianca must have died for._

Will knew he was being the bad guy. He usually was, but he still said it, “But it’s what has always been.”

“At some point, when the camps were made,” Nico seethed out the words, his back to Will still. The way he stood was tense and foreboding, and Will knew what would happen next. He didn’t move to try to stop Nico however. He already knew what Nico was going to do. Nico continued his sentence tensely, “we forgot to continue trying to change our livelihood. Yes, New Rome is a safe place for descendants of gods. Yes, Camp Half-Blood could do better about raising demigods until they become young men and women. But at some point we forgot that this kind of stagnant system doesn’t improve anything.”

“You sound like a revolutionary.”

Nico turned around angrily, “I am a son of Hades!” His dark eyes lit up for the barest moment, heated with rage. A rage Will had always known existed inside Nico, but had always been tightly and securely kept in check. For just the barest moment it had been unleashed. Resentment. Hate. Love. All of it bursting forth and disappearing into a vacuum inside Nico. “Children of Hades were never part of Camp Half-Blood. Not until recently, and even then there are only two of us. And neither of us was born in this generation. Think about that Will Solace, what it must have been like going through that change. We have always been alone, there aren’t epics or poems or stories or movies about us. No one wants to know about the god everyone wants to forget.”

“Nico,” Will stood up. The room was getting colder, but Will could see the rage. The heat in his eyes. He knew where Nico was going. Just like yesterday, Nico was going to break down and become a mess. He grabbed Nico before the man could pull away, and he yanked him into a tight embrace.

“We know…” Nico gasped. Will could hear the tears almost bursting forward, and how Nico fought against them. “More than anyone…”

“I hear you.” Will tried to shush Nico. “Listen to my heart beat,” he told Nico. “Breathe in and breath out.” Nico fell in sync with Will’s deep breaths. Minutes later Nico was relaxed in his arms, his rage slowly disappearing and the ice crystals on his cheeks melted away like snowflakes.

“You’re really good at that,” Nico said as they pulled away from each other. Will smiled and then walked towards the bedroom door.

“Space is good,” Will said instead to Nico as he was followed into the bathroom. He washed his face with cold water and proceeded to brush his teeth.

“Will.”

“Hm?”

“You know that’s my toothbrush, right?” Nico said standing next to him by the sink. Will pulled the toothbrush out of his mouth to look at it. It definitely wasn’t his toothbrush. “Very unhygienic.” He grimaced at Nico but continued to brush his teeth anyways. He wasn’t going to get embarrassed over the fact that he forgot his things weren’t in Nico’s house.

When he finished brushing his teeth he watched as Nico proceeded to also wash his face and brush his teeth. “Yeah and _that’s_ very hygienic,” Will said as Nico brushed his teeth with the same toothbrush Will just use.

As Nico finished watering out his mouth he straightened and said, “I think it’s romantic. We’re sharing germs.”

“Yeap, space is good.” Will walked out of the bathroom with Nico following him into the living room. “I thought you were going to leave.”

Just then Will received an iris message. One from Mr. D pretty much ordering all former demigods, if they had the time, to come to a reunion at Camp Half-Blood. There was an order for an RVSP with two weeks, the reunion was a one-week stay in one month. More information would be sent later.

“That’s why you’re going to Jason and Percy,” Will groaned. He felt exhausted suddenly. It wasn’t like Nico was running away, although it sure seemed like the event was an excuse for Nico to.

“The Children of the Big Three were asked to show up, no exceptions,” Nico sighed out. He seemed annoyed by it.

“Celebrities and all that.”

“Shut up.”

“I’ll be sure to pack some trashy romance novels this time in case your end up in the infirmary again,” Will joked. “Where are you all meeting up?”

“Hazel’s riding Arion to Percy’s next week. Jason’s got some business so he’ll be there in three days. Percy is currently babysitting at home,” Nico informed him in a very systematic and robotic kind of way.

It took a moment of silence until Will finally said it, “Sounds like I’m an overbearing asshole of a boyfriend.”

“Well we’re on a breakish-needing-space kind of thing,” Nico said as he stood up from the couch. “I need to think about the choice I’m going to make. You need to think on whatever it is that messes you up in your head. You seem to get that look on your face more often lately.”

“What look?”

Nico shrugged. “I’ll see you in a month then.”

“Wait, Nico!”


	27. Heavy Interlude I

Having Nico disappear on him wasn’t bad enough, Will was stuck in Nico’s house and he was suddenly feeling the coldness of it. It felt empty. Aside from his overnight bag he packed to stay, which was somewhere, none of his things existed as a part of Nico’s space. Not only that, he realized Nico had never been to Will’s house either.

As Will took a hot shower to refresh himself he thought about a lot of things that needed to be thought about. One of the most urgent of the thoughts were Nico’s overreactions. The first time Will saw Nico’s breakdown was more than a year ago, when he kept saying something in Italian.

Will had walked back into Nico’s bedroom last January before he left, and Nico had his hands over his eyes. He was struggling with words but Will knew he spoke in Italian. Sometimes Nico cursed in it involuntarily, and Connor had taught him somethings about Italian.

Afraid of handling the situation at the time he left Nico’s bedroom and then he never went back. He hid away and broke himself. Seeing Nico hurt, knowing but being confused with how he had lusted and wanted Nico not only scared him it tore him apart. Hurting Nico unintentionally gave him no blame, but knowing how much Nico hurt from that scene had broken something in Will.

It had made Will question what being a healer was. How did someone heal the wounds of the heart? How could a healer hurt their patient? More importantly, how did a healer continue to carry the guilt of failing a patient? Will started having night terrors, and it freaked out his entire cabin. He retired as Cabin Head before returning to finish his certification.

He vaguely recalled Travis and Connor that spring. He remembered throwing himself into work. Just before getting his license as a paramedics in Minnesota, Will started the police academy. It seemed to help for a bit.

Will sighed as he stepped out of the shower. He busied himself by drying off and putting on fresh clothes. Spring break.

Remembering spring break was like remembering the time Connor had to beat him up. Connor was usually serious about many things which sounded like jokes and lies. Connor had not liked being told that Will would not tell him the reason he was being unlike himself.

While drinking a glass of water in Nico’s kitchen he thought on the second time Nico had lost it. A couple months ago when they first saw each other again. Of course it wasn’t the first time Nico had been in the Twin Cities, or in fact the state. Over the course of them being together Nico had revealed that he in fact had frequently stayed in Saint Paul over the year. However he never approached Will, Michael or Travis.

As he walked back into the living room Will picked up the towel he’d thrown over the back of the couch. He was rubbing his hair dry when he looked at Nico’s open bedroom door. Remembering the state of that bedroom when he first saw it had taken the words out of his mouth.

Nico’s trashed bedroom had been a physical representation of how messed up Nico felt inside. It was the representation of the aftermath of being torn apart by Will’s selfishness. That same night Will broke down because he couldn’t handle the stress, or the hurt or how he physically felt attracted to Nico.

Will didn’t feel the same way as Nico. Feeling frustrated Will rubbed his towel aggressively over his head of hair. With a growl he stopped and looked at his forearms and wrists. There wasn’t anything there but in his mind he could still see the scabs and scars.

Will reached inside his shorts pockets only to realize his cell phone wasn’t in there. For a moment he panicked as he desperately searched for his phone. Then he heard it ringing on the coffee table.

“Damn.” Breathing again Will jumped over the couch and grabbed it. It must have been destiny or something because the caller ID told him it was Connor. He’d been meaning to call the man for support.

The moment he answered Connor said, “Dude you got the iris message?”

“Yeah.” Will couldn’t relax just yet. Every part of him was tense and his brain was running circuits over Nico.

“I don’t think I’m going. I can’t…”

Will knew he had to jump in. Only he and Travis knew why Connor spent less time at camp before Will left, and it was a subject none of them talked about.

“I can’t…”

“Con, I will be there, okay?”

“Yea but you will be with Nico, or at least close proximity to the angel.” Will rolled his eyes. Connor had been saying that it followed pattern that Will’s got a thing with Nico _di Angelo_ , and Travis was steady with Michael named after an angel.

“I’m not going.”

“RVSP, Connor,” Will pushed. He knew eventually Connor would have to face it. Of course being in Camp Half-Blood wasn’t going the make a difference, all it did was force Connor to endure things. The difference was that Camp Half-Blood relatively stayed the same in image despite the add-ons. What might have changed doesn’t change in Connor’s head. Will also had a feeling Connor could use a reminder of why he stayed away by being at Camp.

“How are you and Nico?”

Will groaned.

“What now?”

Lying back against the couch Will recounted what happened after waking up and the reason for why it happened. Connor laughed out of amusement and not entertainment—he didn’t see the difference, Conner still laughed. Of course he was then called a slow-witted idiot.

“I remembered you used to be a lot smarter and faster about these things.”

“Well I don’t.” Will rubbed the place between his eyebrows. It felt sensitively tense. He took another deep breath and decided on telling Connor the truth when he remembered who it was that talked sense into him last year. “We’re giving each other space and I’m afraid we’re going to break up.”

“So you two are legitimately in a relationship?”

“We’ve been in one since I told you we were getting together!” Will snapped. Losing his cool wasn’t helpful but he was already one push left from losing his sanity. He sucked in a breath. “I need to call Travis…” he gasped.

“No. Do not get off the phone.” He heard tapping in the background. “I’m on my laptop. He’s online so I’m going to tell Travis to come over. Is the douchebag following okay?”

“You really need to stop calling Michael that,” Will said. Remembering what the question was he urgently shouted, “No! He doesn’t need to know so…” Will stopped talking because he could hear Connor stop typing. “…Connor?”

“He works with you, Will,” Connor spoke softly. He sounded calm but Will knew better. “You need to trust him to be part of your support.” Connor was insisting not suggesting.

“I know.”

“He’s coming with.” The typing started again then stopped. “Travis is on his way with Mike. Tell me what’s in your head.”

So Will told Connor what he’d told Travis about last year when he left Nico’s apartment. How he saw Nico close to breaking down and left him there. Then he talked about the aftermath of Nico breaking down, the mess in his room and how he and Travis and Michael helped clean it up. He talked about how he felt that night, how he cried out of frustration. He told Connor how selfish he felt because he couldn’t respond to Nico’s clear emotions for him.

“Did he break down again?” Connor asked.

“Sort of.”

“What happened?”

“Yesterday I remembered our first kiss. He came back injured—he’s been hunting monsters in Minnesota.” Will proceeded to tell Connor about Nico’s hunting as he answered the knock at the door. As he was unlocking the deadbolt he remembered to check the peephole to make sure it was who he was expecting. When he did confirm it was Michael and Travis he unlocked the door and opened it. He waved the two in and walked back into the living room.

“Alright put me on speaker.”

Will put down his phone and put Connor on speaker. “Tell them what you told me.” With a heavy sigh Will recounted the events he told Connor. He made sure not to bring up any information Nico wouldn’t want them to know that didn’t majorly play a part of the role of the event. Then he corrected that the first kiss did not happen on the Pegasus Line that Travis witnessed.

“Should I be worried about something?” Michael asked. Travis smacked the bigger man in the arm and then gritted his teeth at him. “I don’t know what that means,” Michael said as he turned to Will. “Should I be worried about something besides your imminent breakup or death?”

“Imminent breakup?” Connor shouted from the phone. “Shut up Mike.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Shut up Mike.”

Will rolled his eyes. Michael apparently read his body language because he moved away from the loop argument he always half-heartedly had with Connor.

“It’s very obvious their relationship is only physical. They’re basically friends with benefits. They have never gone on a legitimate date. They usually argue the same night they have sex. More than two-thirds of the time they meet they have sex. There’s no equal ground or understanding.” Michael slapped a hand on Will’s shoulder to give him support. It didn’t feel like support.

“Who gave you the right to give love advice?” Connor questioned.

Michael sighed heavily and almost dramatically for effect. “Excluding being a child of Venus, I’m also the only one here who is listening to the fact that Will does not say he’s in love with Nico di Angelo.” Will almost cringed because that was very true, and a fact that Connor and Travis usually chose to ignore. “He hasn’t said it. He’s said he cares and likes Nico. They’ve fucked. Nico’s told him how he feels, he’s hinted and instigated towards very deep feelings. Feelings that William here just will not reflect back.”

“My name is not William.”

“It’s that or Billie,” Michael said quickly before turning back to Will’s phone to direct his words to Connor. “I understand you’ve been through a lot with Will. I know you were the one that was there for him although I don’t know exactly what because Travis won’t say, but I’m starting to see.” Michael sat down on the couch finally, this time talking directly at the phone on the coffee table. “But have you looked at di Angelo’s side?”

“Nico’s side?”

Travis finally spoke up, “He’s in love with Will.”

“Don’t talk Travis,” Michael said.

“Don’t tell my brother he can’t talk.”

Michael sighed again, as if he was getting impatient and tired with what he was handling. “Connor, you and I are having a conversation on one of your best friends. It’s a tangent that needs to be done for both my own understanding and Will’s. Your brother needs to be ready for damage control, and not only that it’ll be against both our interest as Travis and I are intimate and you two are brothers.”

“Moving along,” Will urged. No one needed to know or be reminded that Travis was constantly between Michael Kahale and Connor Stoll’s bickering.

What Michael said was the least Will expected. “Nico not only has to adjust to suddenly getting what he’s always wanted as easily as how it happened—” Michael meant how Will spent a night breaking down in tears at Nico’s place and a week later they started dating out of his concern for the man. “He has to adjust to the fact that he didn’t get what he really wanted.”

“What do you mean?” Connor asked. This time he sounded less antagonizing and more like he was considering certain points. Will decided it was more food for thought on his part. His problem was that there was already too much food.

“You just said he got what he wanted,” Travis pointed out the confusion.

“Gods, I can’t…” Will groaned. His head hurt. “I didn’t _call_ for this!” he shouted angrily. All everyone was doing was either catching up to the situation or pulling it towards a different direction.

“I called you.”

“And then he Facebooked me.”

“I just drove Travis.”

“Technically…”

“Travis, you are not legally allowed behind the wheel of a car without a permit,” Michael cut in before Travis could finish. Will was in a hurricane. He was in a storm. He was not here in Nico’s house hosting without really hosting a confused support group meeting.

“Would you two lovebirds stop being so disgusting and realize that Will is about to have a meltdown?” he heard Connor blare from his phone. Will really wished he could thank Connor for saying something but he couldn’t because he was finding it hard to function properly.

“Can I finish talking?” Will asked finally. Michael seated him on the couch and Travis handed him a glass of water. Will explained the breakdowns he has seen Nico gone through, but was really surprised when Michael didn’t seem too shocked by it. As he recounted yesterday night’s episode Michael ran his fingers through his hair.

“You know something.” Instinct told Will that Michael did.

Shaking his head Michael said, “I do not know _some_ thing. The Ambassador has spoken to me about some issues.”

“About me.”

“I cannot tell you what we spoke about Solace,” Michael said as he stood up. Then he added, “Do not think you are the only thing that is on his mind either. Di Angelo has more things to worry about than the average person.” Coming from Michael it was not a display of arrogance or a subtle way at reprimanding Will.

“That I do know.”

“Do you realize why?”

“Because of me.”

“Because of love.” Michael stood in front of where Will sat until Will looked up at him. “Can you name three demigod children of Hades or Pluto who has ever fallen in love and been loved back and had a happily ever after?” Will shrugged. He tried not to think about that. Sadness was not an emotion he liked handling, because there was too much of it already. Thinking of Hades or Nico usually made him sad and frustrated because no one could change the past. “Exactly. No one cared.” Before Will could say anything else Michael then said, “I understand you have gone through things yourself in the past year and a half or so. I want you to know that Nico di Angelo has not been going through this for just a year or a few, it has been going on his entire life. Recall the year he was born in and what his sexual orientation is. Fitting in was something he probably learned early on wasn’t going to happen. Even now he still thinks it’s the same, and the fact that he has a bi-curious thickheaded sort-of-boyfriend adds a lot of stress.”

“I cannot function right now,” Will groaned. He leaned back on the couch and wanted to shut down. His brain still kept going. Nico before he broke down. Nico after he broke down. Nico when he did break down.

“Why are you so shaken up?” Michael asked.

“I told you!”

“You told me what you experienced. Now tell me why.”

Will couldn’t help it so he said pettily, “I can see why Travis hated your pretty face.”

“I’m not pretty,” Michael said at the same time Travis and Connor both chimed in, “He’s not pretty.”

Will glared at his cell phone where Connor metaphorically existed. He knew what Connor was going to say next, and when Connor demanded that he tell Michael and Travis about everything he almost couldn’t breathe. Tell those two, the closest picture-perfect lovers how he and Nico weren’t even in their honeymoon stage and already had problems?

“Breathe, Solace.”

Will was sitting on the couch against and Michael had pushed back the coffee table to kneel in front of him. Will realized he might be hyperventilating and started to count his breathing. When his body finally relaxed enough for him to feel in control he told them everything. About what happened a year ago in January after the quest, and then he told Michael what happened to himself up until spring break.


	28. Heavy Interlude II

Percy observed Nico from a distance. He stood at the entrance to his family’s kitchen staring at Nico sitting on the couch staring off into space. It was the usual Nico, the dark and brooding Nico. He had hoped the next time he saw Nico—after having taught Will a lesson—that he would be seeing an unusually more cheerful Nico. Instead Nico looked almost…

His thought was interrupted by Jason approaching him. It has been three days since Nico got to Percy’s family apartment. He was glad his mother, stepfather and little sister left for their vacation. In the next two weeks Percy and his houseguests were going to be heading out, but that they were all here was going to be very stressful.

The children of the Big Three and their partners were in his apartment. Percy thought about the four bedroom apartment and frowned. He looked down at his left hand where his brass ring was on his finger.

“What’s on your mind?” Jason asked as he and Frank approached Percy.

“I need to move out,” Percy sighed. It pinched him a little that Nico had actually offered to stay at the apartment he owned in Manhattan. Percy, having heard from Jason and Frank about the struggle for sponsorship over Ernest El-Amin. He should have realized that for Hazel and Nico to have won the battle would mean that Nico was super loaded rich.

“Where did that come from?” Jason asked in wonder.

Frank had a frown on his face but he seemed to understand what Percy was saying. He wouldn’t say it was from their connection to Poseidon or anything, but more from the realization of who was the financial support in his own relationship. They both sighed out heavily together.

“What’s with you two?” Jason asked out loud.

“It seems crowded in my family’s house is all,” Percy told Jason. Jason immediately apologized. Excluding the master bedroom which was his stepfather and mother’s room, he had three bedrooms to work with. He had been stuck about the room arrangement because he didn’t want someone to end up sleeping in the living room. He was sharing his room with Frank and Nico. The girls shared the guest bedroom. Then he had Jason and Thalia together his baby sister’s bedroom—in which cots had been brought up by the apartment super. Just thinking about the arrangement gave him a headache.

“Well, with the good news and all it was kind of hard to leave Piper behind,” Jason sighed. He was rubbing the back of his neck with this look of memory in his eyes. Percy didn’t really mind that he had so much company. In some ways it reminded him of his days at camp as well during his quests.

“Anyways,” Percy mumbled. He nodded over to where Nico sat. He wondered exactly what could be going on between Nico di Angelo and Will Solace. It wasn’t like Will was a bad guy. Then again there was this questionable period where he heard no one would approach Will except for the Stoll brothers.

“Looks like he’s about to kill someone,” Frank whispered.

Jason shuddered before adding, “More like slowly cut them up.”

Percy smiled to hold back his laugh. He wasn’t sure Nico was capable of such a thing as a slow torturous death. Not unless he needed to be cruel.

“He just looks like he wants to beat up someone really bad.”

“Nico.” They watched as Thalia called out to him before coming in from the hallway and sitting down next to him on the couch. Nico blinked away his thoughts and relaxed into the couch. 

* * *

 

“How are you Thalia?” Nico decided to ask. It felt strange to start with such a formal question. Fortunately Thalia didn’t choose to linger on that thought. She still looked much as she did when she first became a Hunter. It was funny that sometimes Thalia reminded him of the past and sometimes she didn’t. She was a bit like him in a way, a child out of time if only slightly.

“How are your black outs?” Thalia asked the question as if it was the most casual question in existence. As if she was asking him about the weather.

Nico thought about the question earnestly. Thalia was one of the few people that Nico rarely tried to be sarcastic or snarky with. Part of it was because he respected her in some strange sense. Another part might be because it didn’t seem to matter to her whose child he was or how he looked or seem. Thalia was perhaps one of the youngest in years in comparison to the rest of the Hunters, but there was this strange part about her that did not seem to be bothered much. As though she grew wise in her years as a tree, and was open-minded in her time with the Hunters.

“Better,” Nico finally answered succinctly.

“You do not look it.” She had her ankles crossed and stretched out in front of her as she leaned back into the couch next to him. Thalia was staring up at the ceiling.

“I don’t look like a lot of things.” _For example, like the happiest man on earth because I get to screw the guy I’m really into,_ he thought sarcastically to himself then frowned. He was getting a headache from thinking about Will and the problems they had. More like _his_ problem.

Thalia smirked before slapping him on the shoulder with a light punch. He found himself looking at her sitting next to him, suddenly mesmerized by the braid in her hair.

“What is this?” he asked her as he reached up and touched the braid that came down from the side of her head. Her spikey black hair head recall when he first met her had grown. The silver circlet on her head and her longer hair was starting to look a match now.

“A braid, obviously,” Thalia gruff out before she slapped his hand away. Nico held back from telling her it made her more beautiful. It would have been strange to have been told such a thing from him. Then Thalia glared at him and grounded out, “What?” in a rough manner.

Nico shook his head.

“Di Angelo,” she growled in a threatening tone as she glared at him. Her glare was very different to the ones from those who were initiated through Lupa’s pack. It wasn’t exactly one that struck fear, it was a silent kind of glare that wasn’t angry. More like coldly analytical.

Although he wouldn’t have backed down Nico conceded to her. “You will probably feel offended, but I think your long hair and the braid makes you more beautiful.” He blushed when Thalia burst into laughter. He saw the other guy standing at the kitchen entrance watching them all relax. They had anticipated a different reaction from Thalia Grace, lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis.

Thalia slapped him on the shoulder again with a punch. This time it was just a little harder than the last. Then she said, “Coming from someone else I would be furious.” She laughed again until her laughter died out. She patted Nico on the shoulder and pulled him for a sideways hug that ended just as quickly as it started. “But from you I will accept the compliment. It doesn’t really mean or do anything for me, but I suspect you do not often give a compliment.”

Nico felt his face flush. He sat there awkwardly as Thalia chuckled her amusement away. Then she touched her braid, letting her fingers linger and trace it for a while. Her stormy electric blue eyes seemed faraway in thought.

“It’s a warrior’s braid.”

“But…” Nico started to ask but realized that it didn’t matter. Thalia did whatever she wanted and that was fine. Just as Nico did whatever he wanted. Anyone else’s opinion didn’t matter. Pressing his lips closed Nico smiled instead.

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Smile. It’s weird—it’s creepy!”

“Sorry.” Before Nico realized it he was apologizing and standing up to move away from Thalia. It took the realization that he was trying to distance himself because it felt like Thalia was rejecting him to stop himself mid-step. The intense silence had the small hair on his entire body prickling on edge. It was weird, and he understood the feeling to be very awkward.

“Hey, Thalia, you sure you didn’t want to go with the girls shopping?” Nico heard Percy’s voice behind him. A nervous laugh, and he could tell a very weak attempt to try and remove all the characters from the awkward positions they were all in. Of course Thalia, being as dismissive as she was, did not at all seem bothered by how Nico had immediately reacted.

Nico was kicking himself mentally. He wasn’t normally so submissive, but he knew why he was so out of practice to these kinds of situations and responses. It was because he was afraid of rejection. Not that he holding his breath from Thalia’s rejection, but actually from the pending rejection from Will Solace.

“Don’t patronize me,” Thalia scoffed at Percy. She sent him a chilling glare with her electric blue eyes. “Just because di Angelo gets uncomfortable by someone being honest doesn’t mean I have to clear the room and you get to look like the big hero.”

“I wasn’t trying to-” Percy was in the process of defending himself but stopped himself. _Why did he even bother?_ Nico had wondered. If Percy hadn’t tried to say anything, Nico would have just recollected himself and walked away. “Look. Can you just be like super awesome of something and let us guys handle this?” Percy sighed.

“What for?” Thalia asked in her dominating manner. She smirked and then shrugged as if the world could do better if Percy didn’t exist. “Need some guy time? I thought only _girls_ needed to do that.” Percy glared at her angrily, and Nico bit back a smile. It was fairly obvious Thalia was baiting Percy, and that Percy found it very hard trying to not get into this conversation on gender normativity that Thalia so easily challenged.

Nico decided he needed time alone. “I think I am going to go to my place for now…” he announced tiredly. There was too much of a power struggle here. It was also very apparent that Jason enjoyed watching his older sister handle Percy. Although Jason presented the opposite in rivalry to Percy—Jason being Roman and a son of Jupiter, Percy being Greek and a son of Poseidon—it was more obvious that the real opposing rival would be Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus.

Frank, soon to be Nico’s brother-in-law, looked lost. Not that the guy would try to choose sides in this fight between the children of the “Big Three”, but he was in a very awkward position himself. Percy Jackson was probably running out of energy with five of them in his apartment, and how small his already very cramped family apartment was.

“How many places _do_ you have?” Thalia raised the question as Nico was moving to collect his traveler’s pack from the room he was assigned in with Percy and Frank.

Nico stopped midway towards the hallway. He thought about it but decided saying, “A few,” was probably the best answer. If he told her the truth that his father had left places for both him and Hazel to use in every state and major city in the world, he would have to go through a lot of explanation. For example, why he dressed the way he dressed… Travis and Michael had both asked him that. He didn’t feel like answering about his choice in style.

“Right…” Thalia didn’t sound convince. Frank had a frown on his face—probably because he knew the real answer. Jason and Percy both didn’t seem as convinced either but neither dwelled on the thought.

“So the big question is…” Jason cleared his throat. His face turned red as he broached on the question he wanted to ask. His handsome face suddenly had a boyish look to it. He bashfully asked finally, “How’s it going with Solace?”

Nico wasn’t sure he answered. He did remember a rage bubbling up inside him. An anger from the pit of his stomach, and Thalia’s laughter, Frank’s giant body the same size as Michael Kahale holding him back, and Percy jumping between him and Jason. Then Nico blinked and he was staring at the ceiling of Percy’s living room.

“You’re pretty strong aren’t you, Frank Zhang?” he heard Thalia chuckling.

“Uh… thanks.”

Nico grumbled as he sat himself up. It took a moment to remember how he ended up on the floor. Frank had blocked him to hold him back, then had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him onto the ground. Luckily not too hard that the hardwood floor would break.

“Sensitive much?” Thalia asked as she helped him stand up. Jason was arguing with Percy in the kitchen. It didn’t serve much as a private area since it was an open space between the kitchen and the living room.

“We were planning to ask eventually anyways!” Jason snapped.

“That’s like me asking if you and Piper are going to have a baby soon when you aren’t even married!” Percy hissed. He groaned loudly out of frustration and shot a glare at Jason. Nico had never seen Jason and Percy bicker in such a way before. It was a bit refreshing in thought.

“Hey!” Jason grabbed Percy’s shoulder. Percy shrugged his hand off and walked over to Nico. “Sorry, bro.” Percy patted Nico’s shoulder and walked into the hallway into his bedroom. Nico just stood there relatively stunned.

“Smooth going little bro,” Thalia smirked before she headed back into the room she shared with Jason.

Jason awkwardly approached him to apologize. “When you’re ready to talk you…” Jason pressed his lips together with a frustrated look. Usually he was collected and confident. It was strange to see Jason so unsure of himself. It has been a pretty constant occurrence since the last summer he was at Camp Half-Blood. Something was on Jason’s mind too and he still haven’t found an answer yet.

Nico didn’t think much of it when he assured Jason that it was fine and Nico didn’t hold it against him. Jason did not look assured but he smiled at Nico and walked away into the room he shared with Thalia. Likely to bury himself under his worrying thoughts. It was so strange to see a never-aging Thalia, but the man that Jason would become growing standing next to her. Nico came to the realization that they’d all mostly grown up more or less. That time has passed by and everyone was moving forward. Even for Thalia who looked more or less like time had mostly stopped.

“I really should go.” He said the words to himself but Frank responded to them.

“Why do you always want to do everything alone?”

The question hit him pretty hard. No one had ever straightforwardly asked him that. That he’d forgotten Frank was there attested to how accustomed he’d become to the idea of Frank marrying Hazel.

When Nico didn’t answer Frank said next, “It’s like you want to stay the same forever. You’ve grown in body, you’ve sort of changed your style of clothes, and sometimes you do some of the weirdest things like being nice that no one would ever expect… But you always do it alone.” Nico didn’t feel like reminding Frank that for children of Hades it has always been that way.

“Don’t you think it’s hard on people when you stand apart from them?” Frank asked him next. Nico still didn’t say anything. “I remember when I was at the bottom of everything and no one bothered with me or Hazel because we were basically the bottom of the barrels. Sometimes being alone is different from being lonely.”

Nico looked up at Frank as he turned to the bigger man. “It’s the same regardless.” Actually Nico knew loneliness. Even in a crowd of people who accepted him as he was, who wanted to be with him, he felt lonely.

Unexpectedly Frank asked the most difficult question anyone had ever asked him: “You ever think that by creating a distance, that you being alone makes others feel lonely?”


	29. Imagining Interlude III

It had been a couple days since Frank had confronted Nico. He could see that Frank had been tailored into a fine leader in his long years as _praetor._ Nico was still pondering on the idea that he had made Hazel lonely by being distant with her. He always thought it was best. At first it was best because neither the Romans nor the Greeks knew each other existed. He acted as the Ambassador of Pluto, although that was not much besides being something of a messenger-slash-errand boy. He had preferred a half-sister over no sister because he had been lonely.

He assumed that because she had made friends when she started her quest, and with the war against Gaea that Hazel was no longer lonely. He’d assumed she had been okay seeing him on occasion. Nico had never thought that perhaps she wanted to get to know him more, simply because he always thought he was in the way. Her relationship with Frank had seemed like something important. The both of them had their odd bumps in the road, and every now and then they were in danger of going their separate ways. Once, Hazel had tracked him down just to cry in his arms after a horrible disagreement with Frank because he spent too much of his time dedicated to his work as _praetor_ and trying to secure a proper place of influence in New Rome.

Nico’s mass of thoughts disappeared as he finished skinning the potatoes. A memory of Will cooking in his house flashed in front of his eyes. Nico hastily tried to catch the bowl of skinned potatoes before it hit the floor.

“Saved!” Frank sighed as he caught the bottom of the silver bowl with one hand and all the potatoes in it before they spilled out. He handed the potatoes off to Hazel who smiled sweetly at him. She then handed the bowls of potatoes to be chopped up by Annabeth and Piper to the girls by the sink.

“You okay there, Nico?”

“I’m fine.”

Nico walked from the counter to the sink on the other end of the kitchen where Annabeth stood. He washed his hands and went to sit with Jason and Percy at the table.

“Nico, tell Percy that blue fries is a disgusting idea!” Jason implored the moment Nico sat down. He raised an eyebrow at Percy who crossed his arms. It was that look Percy rarely used, showing how childishly stubborn he could be if he didn’t get his way.

“Blue. Fries.”

“Sometimes I wished Camp Half-Blood didn’t serve the food exactly the way one preferred. Sometimes it’s disgusting to think of blue colored food. Like bread. It looks like mold you know?”

Nico sat in silence peeling an apple. He avoided the red and green apples because neither tasted good. He grabbed the round, stout-looking spotted apple. The adhesive on it said “Fuji” on it so he assumed the apple was a Fuji apple. Nico peeled, corded and cut up the apple into the plate in front of him. While continuing to listen to Percy and Jason argue over blue food he peeled another apple.

Putting away the fruit knife into the fruit basket, Nico picked up the apple slices and started to eat his apple pieces.

“Hey, Nico…”

While chewing Nico realized that Jason and Percy, both sitting each at his sides, were staring at him and no longer arguing.

“Do you normally eat your apples like that?” Percy asked, pointing to his plate of sliced apple pieces.

Nico looked down and back up. “Alethea likes them peeled.” Another long silence. Nico mentally sighed. He basically just told them he spent time with Will Solace and more or less with Will’s family (Alethea) too. It wasn’t like Nico could help it, but Alethea was very hard to reject. Especially since Will didn’t often have a babysitter, and Fern was not always in Minnesota. Satyr business and all that.

“So a habit you picked up…” Percy said, his voice dying out. It was obvious he was avoiding saying it was a habit he had picked up with Will Solace. Everyone was tiptoeing around him about relationships, especially about anything that could point that he and Will had a relationship.

Thalia seemed to be the only indifferent character. In fact, she might just be purposefully more antagonizing and upfront about Nico’s relationship.

Jason seemed to tiptoe around Nico a lot lately. That even now he seemed like there was something he wanted to ask but couldn’t. He noticed the same about Percy as well but Percy was more preoccupied with his own thoughts to bother about Nico. Of course Percy would be, the brass ring he wore on his finger was temporary but eventually it would be replaced as a wedding ring. Nico twisted around quickly, only to realize that Annabeth’s back was to him as she faced the sink. He pursed his lips, finding it difficult to see what he was looking for.

“Nico?”

“Shh.”

Nico concentrated on trying to use the same ability that Hazel had. Of course he didn’t have the ability to feel minerals and stones. Still, all his focus was on getting Annabeth to turn around as she was chopping potatoes.

“Nico.”

“Shh.”

“Nico, your phone.”

“Shh.”

He glared until Annabeth turned around to give the chopped potatoes to Hazel watching the pot of oil at the stove. Just as he saw the silver band on her finger Percy twisted him back around.

“Your phone!” Percy said and handed Nico his cell phone from the tabletop.

“What?”

Nico stared at the screen. Will was calling. Of course the name that showed up on his screen didn’t say Will so no one knew. He frowned as he stood up to move away. He felt a stiffness in himself as he tried to figure out whether he shouldn’t answer the call or not. Before he came to the conclusion the call went to voicemail again.

“You should call back.”

“I should,” Nico sighed. He looked through his call history to find that he’d missed the last five calls from Will too. He turned the ringer on his phone back on, suspecting that was one reason no one had noticed earlier that his phone had been ringing. He normally didn’t have the ringer on.

“Are you?”

“Who was it?”

Nico snapped his eyes at Jason who asked the last question. “Business,” Nico said. He walked away as another call came in.

“Who is calling?” Thalia asked as he was walking past her in the hallway to Percy’s room. She leaned over to take a peek at the caller ID. She read aloud, “Doctor…?” She looked confused. “Are you ill?”

“It is just business,” Nico said before walking into Percy’s room and closing the door.

Taking a deep breath Nico steeled himself for answering the call. He thought about what to say and how he should say it. His mind went blank as he thought about Will on the other line.

“Yes?” Nico answered the call before it went to voicemail again.

Silence was on the other end.

“Hello?” he tried again.

“Oh! I thought I was going to get voicemail again!”

Will sounded shaky on the phone. “I… Um…”

“Yes?” Nico waited.

There was silence for a long time until he heard a bump in the background on the line. Nico looked at the minutes on his phone, wondering how long he’d been on the phone with Will and they haven’t even spoken about anything.

“Sorry,” Will said finally. He still sounded pretty shaky, almost off balance. Then a groan. “Hey Nico, I know it’s been like a week or something already but…”

It was almost a week. Nico didn’t speak as he listened to Will. He stared at the crack under Percy’s bedroom door. He moved to the window that acted like a giant door to get into the fire escape. He shoved it open and sat on the ledge of the window paying attention to the crack at the bottom of the door.

“Speak.”

“Mm, right,” Will said. He sounded as if he just recalled he was going to say something. “Hey Nico, you know… I think it’s pretty pathetic but I…” His voice trailed off again.

“What?”

“I just really don’t want us to break up yet.”

“Explain.” Nico noticed the shadows at the crack of the door and knew that he was being listened to by the others. Apparently saying he had business on the phone wasn’t enough to let them drop it. Nico climbed out the window onto the fire escape and started up the stairs towards the roof. He climbed the ladder onto the roof.

“Will, explain it to me,” Nico said again as Will still haven’t told him anything.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?” Will asked.

“No,” Nico answered back.

“But you were…”

“I just needed a place without anyone overhearing,” Nico said to reassure Will. “You don’t want anyone to hear us talking right?”

There was silence again. “No,” the answer finally came. Then Will said, “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Be gentle,” Will sighed into the phone. Nico was a bit confused, he wasn’t being gentle. In fact he was so tense he could barely move himself from where he was standing at the moment. If he died now he would be clutching onto his phone so hard it would probably have to be burned or buried with him.

“I’m not gentle.”

“You’re plenty gentle, Nico,” Will groaned. “Soft. Cuddly… Nice smell…”

“Are you drunk?”

“Nope.”

“You’re drunk,” Nico sighed. He felt himself relax for a bit. It explained why Will would call him. Will normally just texted him. Sometimes Will texted him long strings of words every five minutes. Other times he would text three words and be done. In the time that Nico had demanded they have space Will had made no form of contact. It’d almost been as if the last few months had never happened and they were back to avoiding each other’s existence.

“I’m not drunk.”

“Is someone there with you?”

“I’m hiding in the bathroom.”

“Why are you hiding in the bathroom?”

“Because Michael is an ass. Travis is shopping. And Connor’s over.”

“Connor is at your house?” Nico felt a headache coming on.

“We’re at your house.”

Nico was confused now. “Why are you at my house?”

“I haven’t left yet.”

“It’s been almost a week, there isn’t food…” Nico rarely went grocery shopping. He just ordered delivery or take out when he came back to the house in Saint Paul. Or any place he spent the night of the various living arrangements he had throughout the world.

“That’s why Travis is grocery shopping.”

“What have you been eating for the past few days?” Nico asked, almost concerned for Will’s health.

“Don’t know. Pizza?”

“Will!”

“Michael them buy me food cuz I won’t leave.” His words sounded like a whine. “Anyways I didn’t call to report me living in your house without you knowing…”

Nico bit back the notion to dwell on that subject. What has he been doing the last few days? Was he even showering?

“I don’t want to break up yet.”

“I heard you the first time.”

“I haven’t ridden you yet,” Will said next. Nico hadn’t been expecting _that_ reveal. Of course the man hasn’t yet. Nico deliberately made the penetration experience as little as possible between their sexual times together, and that was because he knew Will would gain the confidence to try to ride him. Nico didn’t want that as tempting as it was. Just imagining it got Nico hard, and that was why he didn’t want it to happen. He would be completely hooked on Will. He wouldn’t be able to let Will walk away. He would tie Will die and hoard him for himself.

“Doesn’t have to be me, right?” Nico forced himself to smile into the phone as he spoke softly, trying to imitate the gentleness mentioned earlier. He probably wasn’t doing it right because Will had gone quiet again.

“Nico…”

“Yea?” He maintained the softness in his tone anyways. Knowing very well it wasn’t having the effect he wanted, Nico wondered why he still continued using it.

“I haven’t kissed you yet.”

“We’ve kissed plenty of times.”

“I haven’t kissed you enough yet, then,” Will amended. His voice sounded a little more energetic and less lazy at least.

Nico found a small smile forming on his lips. Will had the strangest effect on him sometimes. He tried hard to hide that fact. There were things Will have done without even realizing that had made Nico smile, or laugh, or generally just feel good. He tried to hide those and lock them away from his heart, but before he knew it those moments had broken down the closed quarters of his heart.

“Hugs…”

“Okay, fine,” Nico sighed out. Giving up on the sanity of this conversation, but maintaining his soft tone he finally conceded, “I’ll remember to hug you.”

“And cuddles too.”

“And I’ll cuddle with you in bed.”

“Holding hands.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “We can hold hands too.” He knew the list was going to keep going. It wouldn’t be a surprised if Will was actually drunk. “I will kiss you and hold you the next time we see each other. We can have slow sex, and hard sex, or whatever it is in bed you want to do. We can go on dates.”

“Don’t lie Nico, that’s bad…” Will moaned. His voice sounded weird but Nico didn’t think much of it as he sat down by a venting shaft.

“If I do it then you’ll feel better, unlock the bathroom door and let Michael Kahale be an ass and take care of your drunk self, won’t you?” Nico said as he fished out the earbuds for talking on the phone from his pocket. As he plugged on the contraception Nico remembered to check on the updated bronze watch that kept his scent off from the monster’s radar. He clicked one of the side buttons which showed him a countdown of how long he had before he had to get the watch device recharged with Mist magic.

Will had been quiet as Nico got on his earbuds to talk freehand. Nico leaned against the venting shaft and lifted his face to feel the warmth of the sun. Basking in this now that he wasn’t bothered by anyone who was in Percy’s apartment felt did feel good. Relaxing.

“Fine, but you have to tell me more about what we’re going to do when we see each other again…” Will said. He sounded like he was pouting. Nico just shook his head, closed his eyes and straightened himself where he sat. He set his phone next to him and pulled up his knees to change sitting positions.

Nico imagined what it would be like if Will confessed. It was a silly thought to think of Will confessing undying love, but he imagined it anyways. So in a soft tone Nico told him how he wanted to kiss Will, not in a dominating way. In a shared way. How he wanted to do that thing they did in his living room once, dancing but not just dancing. Something like flirting with their bodies. How he wanted their hips to sway together but not provoke each other as one would in a dance club. He described in detail how he wanted to undress Will and touch him, and how he wanted to guide Will’s hands to undress him too. Nico told Will about how he wanted to get Will into bed and how he wanted to slowly enter him and then slowly make Will’s body burn for more.

Nico imaged hearing Will’s ragged breath, Will’s strained voice begging him to go faster, just a little harder, just a little more. Nico would probably keep going, bare without latex, letting Will know him. He wanted Will to melt and relax entire, accepting all of Nico, and when he finally gave all of himself to Nico he wanted to drive them so completely over the edge they both crashed and burn.

Nico told Will about that not being the only thing they did. That he wanted Will in some many ways so many times talking about it didn’t do justice. Nico wanted them to do it once in the bathroom. He didn’t really care how. In the shower, against the door when they had guests, even right next to the bathroom window when they had no guests.

“Shower…?”

Nico told Will about his imagined shower scene. How he wanted them to be bathing each other, washing each other, and it turns to slowly they each trying to get off the other’s hand. Before long—Nico paused. This was a scene he’d imagined in the last month without telling anyone, barely accepting it himself. He imagined Will taking him under the spray of the shower. It wasn’t rough or slow and easy.

They had simply gotten each other hot, and Nico had turned himself around and presented himself. Nico skipped over telling Will this. Instead he used the word “we” as he described how they would both try to hit climax together. How they were so desperate, Will’s head fall on his shoulder as they gasped heavily under a cooling shower spray. He talked about how in his imagination they started moving faster, forgetting anything but the pleasure, both pushing against the wall in front of them for leverage. Both grunting and trying to stimulate each other more.

“Damn…” he heard a grunt and then a rasp over the line.

Nico froze, his eyes opening. He was obviously still alone, no one had bothered to look for him. His hand had frozen over rubbing his package as he spoke of his sex fantasies with Will.

“Did you…” Nico started to ask but decided to ask more clearly, “Were you…”

“I just came…”

“Will Solace…” Nico groaned. Obviously Nico hadn’t gotten off, because if he’d know what Will Solace had been using his imagination for—which basically was curiosity or confirmation that they weren’t breaking up right away when they next saw each other—he would have paid more attention to the noises from Will’s end.

“That was hot…” Will said through deep breaths.

Nico shook his head with a smile. “Guess I win this round,” Nico said jokingly.

“Wha… Wait—What?” Hearing Will’s panicked voice on the other end made his dissatisfaction quite worth it. “You were—Did I just…”

“I’m sharing a room with Percy and Frank, so I don’t think we’ll be doing that again either…”

“But…”

“Later.” Nico hung up. He chuckled then stood up. He frowned at the bulge of his pants, but quickly readjusted it and started back for Percy’s room.


	30. "Home"

Will groaned. He felt sick to his stomach ten seconds after the phone call had ended. Sure, he came… but then he saw the blood on his wrists. Will tried to take in slow deep breaths, because the blood wasn’t there. The scars weren’t there either. His hands shook as he hastily turned on the faucets in the sink and tried to clean up.

He washed up, then washed his hands.

“Will, you okay?” came with the knock on the door. He gasped, then took another calming breath.

Will hated himself. He groaned and bit the inside of his cheek to stomach himself from wailing from the storm of emotions churning a hole in his stomach.

“Dude the water’s been on for twenty minutes.”

Will stopped. Has it? He looked at his fingers and saw how wrinkly they become. If he kept washing his hands he was going to bleed. Will made himself turn off the water. He could still feel the sticky sensation dripping down his wrists onto his hands. Will gasped for breath one more time.

The knock came again. It was accompanied by a different voice. “Solace, come out. There's food.”

“I don’t wanna eat…”

“Put something in your system. It’s been two days.” Michael made it sound so reasonable. So logical. Yes, obviously Will should eat something. “Don’t lie about eating pizza. I know you’ve been throwing it out the bathroom window.” Will inwardly seethed. Damn his stupid coworker.

“Open the door Will,” Michael urged. “Or I will break down this door after calling Nico. And then you’re going to explain to him why his bathroom door is broken, and why there are slices of pizza on his lawn.” Will decided he hated Michael at the moment. He went to the door to open it and heatedly mouth off at the man.

Only when his fingers grasped the doorknob he froze. _What if it happened again?_ The question rang in his head. _What if Nico asks you to leave again? What if this time you never saw each other again?_ Will felt a cold run up and down his spine. The biggest question and the biggest fear whispered itself deep in his heart. _What if you failed again?_

“Will?”

He stood tense where he was at the door.

“Will?”

Will covered his mouth with his hands. He slide down to his knees and tried to keep himself as still and quiet as possible.

“Will? Are you there?”

He couldn’t answer.

“Will?”

“Yeah!” Will shouted through the door. “Yeah, Alethea. I’m here, baby.” Will hated himself. He hated his friends.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!”

“Travis said you were hurting,” Alethea’s voice echoed through the speakers on the phone held on the other side of the door. “Are you hurting?”

“I’m fine!”

“But…”

“I’m okay. Just sick.” It wasn’t a complete lie. He was sick. In his head and in his heart.

“You’re lying…” Alethea’s disappointed voice echoed from underneath the floor where the phone was. Will’s breath escaped him as his hands fell to the floor. “Why are you lying?” She sounded about to break down. “You can’t lie!” she screamed. He could imagine Alethea standing in front of him where he was on his hands and knees. He saw her reprimanding him in her childish rejection to his words. “Why?” she shouted.

“I don’t want you to worry,” Will answered softly, but for some reason he felt like she’d heard him. “I don’t want you to worry!” Will shouted, repeating his words desperately. “Don’t worry about me!” He fell into the impulse and opened the door and grabbed Travis’ cell phone off the floor. “Don’t worry and just have fun! I’ll be fine!” Will hung up on the call, knowing he hadn’t eased her worry at all. Will glared at the three men standing in the living room waiting patiently for him.

“Let’s eat,” Michael announced. He moved to put out the plates on the coffee table in Nico’s living room. Will glared as he watched Michael set up dinner on the coffee table.

“Come on Will.” Connor was at his side, his voice gentle but his hands firm. He led Will to the living room space, seating him in the middle on the couch.

“Gotta eat and sleep first,” Travis mumbled into his ear. Will felt worse now that he saw the state Travis and Connor were in. He remembered them being the same last summer. Travis and Connor’s hair was disheveled and greasy, because they stopped taking care of themselves so they could take care of Will. It was the same now. Connor’s long hair was greasy and unkempt, while Travis’ short hair was messy and sticking out in every direction. The bags under their eyes were very apparent, and they both looked tired and down from being so worry.

“You two need to shower and sleep,” Will said as he sat down where they directed him. “What are we eating?”

“Alethea’s uncle came by earlier with some food,” Michael said without much commitment in his voice. As if it wasn’t already bad enough he was hearing about Alethea’s uncle visiting him at Nico’s place. Now he was pretty certain Alethea’s uncle was thinking that Will was unsuited for raising Alethea. “We told him you were at the store, but he dropped off some food. Said he got it at the flea market.”

“We have a flea market?” Will asked as the white Styrofoam takeout containers were opened. There was some purple looking rice, and some chicken, and a variety of meat in other containers.

“Hmong Village.”

“Where’s that?” Will knew he should know. He recalled it being mentioned a couple of times.

“Johnson Parkway.”

“Oh…”

“By Cub’s Food.”

“Ooooh…”

Will didn’t really know if there was a flea market in that area. He figured to kill the topic he should just act like he got the general idea.

“Is it too much?” Travis asked him when a plate of purple rice and sausages was handed to him. “The last time you were like this you could only eat crackers and bread with some juice.” That was because Will had deteriorated so much going straight to delicious food was like smacking him in the face with three variety of puke.

“This is fine.”

“Here’s a glass of water,” Connor said as he put it down on the coffee table for Will. Will nodded his thanks and focused on the purple rice. Purple. Rice.

“If Percy ever hears about this I won’t be surprised if he wants blue rice.” Will almost laughed at his own commentary but instead he just weakly smiled. He didn’t have the strength to laugh yet. He barely had the strength to eat.

“It’s food coloring,” Michael explained. “Purple sticky rice. It’s pretty good.” Michael was already ripping the purple sticky rice from the chunk he had on his plate and putting it into his mouth. The fact that the Roman Michael, who was always doing things as efficiently and appropriately as necessary was using his hands to eat said something. Something like it was either okay to eat like this with his fingers, or that no one did the dishes and no one wanted to.

Will tested out the Hmong sausage. It was good but not something he could stomach so he left it on his plate. Instead he just picked at the purple sticky rice and slowly ate it. He knew no one would force him to finish anything as long as he was eating. The point was to slowly eat it after all.

“I thought calling Nico was supposed to help?” Connor groaned finally. “It looks like he got worse.”

“Nico is part of the problem. Will hasn’t fixed his problem yet,” responded Michael without looking up from his plate. He was focused on a chicken drumstick stuffed with cellophane noodles. That was a strange combination.

They all ate in silence. Will shuffled himself to Nico’s bedroom, stripped himself out of his clothes and slipped into Nico’s bed with only his boxers.

He held his cell phone in one hand after plugging in the charger, and fell asleep holding onto it. It was pathetic that he treated his phone like a lifeline to Nico, but it was his only way to reach Nico. Even though he knew he shouldn’t have contacted Nico he did so anyways. He wouldn’t put it against Nico if the man decided never to see Will again.

Will woke up a lot in the middle of the night. Constantly checking his phone, sometimes gasping for breath feeling the wet and sticky sensation on his wrists, and other times with tears because that dream kept repeating itself.

Will hated that dream. It was 2 o’clock in the morning when he finally sat up in Nico’s big bed and gave up sleeping. The dream had woke him up this time. Will couldn’t stand seeing the images of Nico smiling and laughing. He could remember brief moments of Nico actually being this way, and knew how much Nico avoided being like this. Avoiding being like it with Will. He dream of children running in Michael and Travis’ backyard, Nico watching over them with a smile on his face. A soft smile Will only ever peeked at when Nico spent time with Alethea. But why Michael and Travis’ backyard?

Will’s dream showed them together during the good and the bad. Yet here they were at probably their worse and Nico was half a country away. He remember the glimpses he got at a wedding ceremony in Camp Half-Blood. The one where Nico was an anxious, panicky best man. This was where the dream broke apart. The dream where Will and Nico were possibly together. Instead he would dream of darkness, fear, and coldness. Will always shouted into the void of the darkness, and then light would peek through and wash everything away.

Then Alethea stood in a valley with Nico and a man with long black hair. The man in strange clothing would disappear after touching Alethea’s head, and Nico would uncomfortably take Alethea’s hand and they would walk together up the valley to where Will was watching them. This part broke in his vision like a shattered mirror, and Will hated the next part.

Nico walked away with Travis. No matter how hard Will tried to call to them neither could hear him, or wanted to hear him. They took each other’s hands as they faced one another, and Travis would bend down and kiss Nico. It was a ridiculous part of Will’s dream because he knew Travis only wanted Michael. Still it was a part of a terror to Will, the knowledge that Nico would walk away to someone else. That Nico would rely on someone else. That Nico would… reject him. He couldn’t quite describe the feeling he always felt during this part of the dream, but he knew it was neither jealously or hate.

Then everything rushed at him, a part of a life Will didn’t know and never saw. It would be years later, when Alethea becomes a preteen. Alethea would be sleeping on the bed that once was his at Camp Half-Blood, but she wouldn’t wake up. No one knew what was wrong with her. Then Nico would appear from the darkness, through the shadows and would shove his way through. He would kneel at the side of the bed where Will would be, and he would tell Will the same thing: “We have to guide her home.” _Home_ always stuck in his head for some reason.

Will would wake up from that dream often. He hated it. Hated it because it was a dream he knew was being shone to him by his father. His father was trying to tell him something without saying anything, without being _any_ help. The only thing Will got from this dream was that he would lose Nico, and the only solid connection he ever had to Nico was Alethea. That if Alethea wasn’t there he and Nico had no meaning together.

It was like the idea of parents suffering through their broken marriage because they wanted their child to grow up in a home with both parents. Will couldn’t stand the thought.

As though Will couldn’t have asked for better timing someone called him on his phone. He looked at the caller ID. He felt himself break down but managed to gasp for breath just before answering the call. 

* * *

 

“Hello?” came the answer on the other end. Nico frowned.

“Are you okay?” he asked. Will didn’t sound right. His voice sounded dried and crack. It was unusual, as Will usually seemed like the picture of perfect health.

It was silent for a moment and then Will answered, “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound like it. Are you still locked in the bathroom?” Nico was getting pretty suspicious about why Will was locked away in his bathroom to begin with.

“I’m in your bed.”

“Not disturbing at all,” Nico said. He sat down where he had earlier that day when he first received the phone call from Will. He looked around to make sure no one had followed him up to the roof when he snuck up. Of course no one would think anything since Nico often came to the roof during his watch, but he had an hour before he had to relieve Frank of that duty who was in the living room sharpening his sword.

“Sorry. Must be kinda creepy and gross thinking about it,” Will apologized over the phone. Nico put on his earbuds for his phone before answering. When he did he realized Will was rambling on about how disturbing the thought of someone he broke up with was still in his house.

“We didn’t break up,” Nico interrupted. Will was silent so Nico took it as a sign he could continue. “Look, I know what I did was wrong. Thinking back on it…” Nico bit the inside of his mouth. It was a bit hard to admit he was in the wrong. “It sounds like I gave you an ultimatum. Something I shouldn’t really give you, because you’re still new to these things and you don’t even know what you’re really looking for—what you want or what you need.” Nico knew how inexperienced Will was, no matter how enthusiastic the other man was, no matter how much of a natural he seemed, or how much Will “studied” it on the internet.

It was a fact that Will was new to all of it. What Nico did, telling him they needed to be on a break without any contact, pretty much meant they were breaking up and it would be official unless Will could reciprocate back what Nico wanted. All of this was on him. Nico was to blame for it.

“I bet you’re not even sleeping properly. It’s already 3AM over here, so it’s 2:00 over there.” Nico needed to talk about something else until he could figure out how to fix what he did.

“I just woke up.”

“Don’t lie,” Nico sighed. He looked up at the stars for a change of view. “Alethea called earlier crying. She said you lied to her.”

“Alethea has your phone number?”

“The Camp has my number,” Nico sighed. He wouldn’t put it past Alethea to memorize his phone number, but she was a lot like Will in that way. She never really thought about in-case scenarios.

“Oh… makes sense.”

“So, what happened?” Nico asked. He knew he sounded like he didn’t care but in reality he was probably the only one who cared about how Alethea felt in all of this. Will was her big brother, her hero—not in the sense of the Greek ideal either. Will Solace was Captain America rolled up in Hawkeye (if Hawkeye had bad aim).

Will was quiet on the other end. Nico didn’t wait, he assumed Will felt pretty down about how it all went too. He decided to stay on topic.

“So, why are you up?” Nico asked. While waiting for a response, Nico thought he kind of wished Will was there to stare at the night sky with him. He heard about one of the Hunters of Artemis being made into a constellation. Sometimes he looked up there and wished his sister was a constellation too. Frozen, living forever, burning faraway in the sky.

“Waiting for your call.”

Nico almost choked on his own saliva. He was glad he hadn’t opened the bottle of pop cooling his lap yet. He probably would have snorted that out of his nose.

“Will, sometimes I feel you’re purposely trying to cripple me,” Nico admitted with a sigh. When the last war ended, the sarcastic words Will had thrown at his face had helped Nico heal from his unrequited love on Percy. As time went on Nico fell in love discovering the kind of person Will was. Will still had the ability to just make Nico step back out of mere awe.

“Cripple you? When did I do that?”

Nico held back his laughter. “You shouldn’t say things like that when there’s a guy who wants to take you to bed.” He thought about it for a second. “In fact, don’t say that ever on the phone.”

“Say what? Why?”

“If you tell someone you were waiting for their call, they will most definitely think you like them. Some people might be turned on by it too.” Nico felt like hiding inside a hole for three years, having to explain that to Will of all people. Will who was probably approached anywhere he went in public. Will who was a tall, muscled police officer.

“Oh…”

“So, why were you waiting? I don’t think we made a promise to call,” Nico decided to continue the conversation. If he didn’t he had a feeling the tension between them would just get heavier.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Sounded like Will just went in a circle. He wasn’t sleeping because he was waiting for Nico’s call, and he was waiting for Nico’s call because he couldn’t sleep. It was a bit of a headache. Nico suspected Will didn’t realize at all that he wasn’t making too much sense.

“Why couldn’t you sleep?”

There was a long pause. “Stress.”

“From?”

Another pause. “Lots of things.”

“Like…?”

“Dreams. Hallucinations—illusions, I mean. Stuff like that,” Will said. It sounded like he was trying to shrug it off as something that wasn’t a big deal. Nico knew better. If it was difficult for a normally sleep deprived Will to sleep due to stress—when he was a newbie at a high-leveled stress job—that said a lot. Will normally knocked out the moment he slipped under the covers to sleep. Sometimes he went to sleep minutes after Nico made him climax.

“I see…” Nico said noncommittally. If he sounded too concern he knew it would throw Will off. Nico needed him to open up but he couldn’t just scare the man by being overly worried and anxious either.

“So we’re not breaking up…” Will asked.

Nico let himself laugh this time. “No, Will. Do you want me to come home?” He said it jokingly of course.

“Yes. Right away. Right now.”

“What?”

“I can’t go to sleep unless you’re here,” Will said. Nico felt himself tense just as he was getting himself into a position to stand up right away. “You promised we would do a lot of things when we saw each other again.”

“Will…” Nico started to warn him. He needed to school himself and fast. At the moment all Nico could think about was taking Will like some puberty-crazed high school kid too awkward with his movements to care about the long run.

“Come home.”

 _Come home_ , he’d said. Words Nico thought he would never hear. And Will was the one that said them. _Home_. Will didn’t know how powerful that word was, telling him he had a home to go to.

Nico felt bad because he knew he would be crushing Will’s hopes. “I’m on watch in a bit.” He could _feel_ the disappointment and the pain through the phone. All he could do or say was whisper, “Wait for me,” before he hung up.

“Damn…” Nico groaned as he let himself collapse on the ground of the roof. His pop rolled off his lap.


	31. Stubborn Child

Will shuffled around Nico’s house in a dreary mood. He didn’t have energy to do much of anything, and that was probably because he wasn’t eating much of anything. Michael tried shoving down some toast in Will’s throat in the morning. He coughed out half the toast and almost threw up the other half. So no one tried to get him to eat anything, afraid he was likely to just throw it all up in the bathroom and make things worse.

The morning passed slowly, Travis went off to his part-time job and Michael went to work. He was trying to get in time off too because he planned to follow Travis to Camp Half-Blood for the one-week reunion. More like the survivor exhibition. Will wasn’t surprise Michael would go so far just to be with Travis on a daily basis. Their relationship wasn’t difficult, but it hadn’t been easy either. Michael had a lot of enemies—none too serious, but enemies nonetheless—and Travis had a lot of doubts. It was the reason Michael tried his best to keep Travis from doubting or his insecurities.

The only person left with him in the house was Connor, who seemed rather annoyed. When Will ventured to ask what was stuck up his anal hole—in exactly those words—Connor shot him the deathly glare he’d been pointing at the droning television the entire time. How someone could glare through the entirety of reruns of _“the Suite Life of Zack and Cody”_ was shocking. Especially since the Disney show basically reflected Travis and Connor’s entire dynamic and life in Camp Half-Blood.

“If it isn’t you doing something stupid, it’s Travis,” Connor growled at him. He looked royally angry, like someone ate the last chocolate bar he’d been saving.

“Someone needs to get laid,” Will grumbled where he laid sprawled on the couch. Connor threw the remote at Will. He didn’t try to dodge it, he slapped his out where he thought the remote would be and watched it fly away and land on the carpeted floor. He was surprised not because he managed to block it but because Connor was slightly surprised he had blocked it.

“Why can’t either of you just straighten your shit up?” Connor snapped at him angrily. Will sat up, taking into attention just what Connor was really expressing. “I’m already running here or there between you two. If you aren’t doing something completely mental then Travis is breaking down and panicking over the stupidest thing Michael does!” Will watched the way Connor took in deep breaths trying to find his calm. Connor was… well he was Connor.

He hid it well back at Camp, but Connor had always been the more passionate brother. Always just a little more zealous, just a little more devious. Perhaps it came from being the younger brother because sometimes it was as if Connor ran on impulse and Travis followed. Travis’ pranks and mischievousness was always more thought out. Will had been told of the last prank Travis had tried to pull on Connor. Travis had made breakfast for Connor’s birthday when he came to visit last winter. It would have worked if Travis hadn’t mixed up the plates. Using his improved cooking to give Connor something near inedible was a carefully planned joke.

“What, no excuses?” Connor snapped at him for being too quiet too long. “Always moping, always crying, breaking down, regretting every, single little thing you’ve done wrong,” Connor grumbled. His eyes weren’t looking at Will but at his own intertwined fingers as if he was praying. Connor wasn’t just mad at Will and Travis—he’d been and still was mad at himself.

“Go to the reunion, Connor,” Will grumbled. He needed water, because he could hear how scratchy his voice was. Will didn’t feel like drinking or eating or doing anything. He wanted Nico here. He wanted to redo the start of his long break—a break he wouldn’t have gotten if Michael hadn’t been pulling invisible strings for him. He wanted to collapse into Nico’s bed again, wake up to Nico gently telling him to sleep more and promising him wonderful bed play when he got back from one of his jobs. Will wanted to go back to the time before he realized the depth of Nico’s love or the guilt of his attraction.

“This isn’t about me!” Connor snapped. Will could tell Connor was lying. If Alethea had been—Will frowned, remembering yesterday on the phone with her. He wondered how she was feeling. He wondered if she was panicking, throwing a tantrums and being a menace.

* * *

 

Alethea had only left the Big House once, and that was to go sleep because she was told the Harpies would hurt her if she wasn’t in bed. She sat by the phone and waited and waited for a call. Yesterday Will had lied. She didn’t like it. She called Nico for help because he never lies. Nico told her he would try to fix things but Alethea didn’t know what that meant. So she waited by the phone.

“Alethea don’t you want to go play?” Chiron approached her in his magical wheelchair. She didn’t know how it worked, because it was too complicated for her. It was magic and that explained it, she had decided long ago. Alethea also didn’t like that she could tell when he meant ‘play’ he really meant go learn weird stuff with everyone else.

She shook her head to answer him. Chiron frowned, and did that thing he does when he’s thinking deeply. Last summer her father was here, and he was always laughing and playing cards with Mr. D. Sometimes Chiron would look like he was really tired and needed to sleep, but then he would go teach classes and run around and Alethea would be very confused. That was sort of the look he had now.

“You’re worried about Will?” Chiron asked.

Alethea nodded.

“But I can tell you if Will or Nico calls,” Chiron told her. Alethea knew he wanted her to leave, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to be here where she could get to Will or Nico right away. Right now she didn’t mind if Travis or Connor called either. She wanted to hear that Will was not sick anymore.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Alethea looked up where she sat on the floor. She rubbed her tired eyes and looked up to see who was at the big door of the Big House.

The boy approached, taking off the purple sheet around his shoulder. Some campers wear that sometimes, she remembered from last summer. Most times everyone wore an orange t-shirt like she did. Sometimes there would be different kids wearing that purple sheet with their purple shirt. She didn’t really like the purple shirt so she was glad she never had to wear it.

“What’s with that face?” Ernest frowned as he stared down at Alethea. She stared up at him in wonder. Ernest. Roman. Different camp. Right, he said they might see each other again this summer. “Looks like you’ve been crying.”

Alethea stood up, glad that she was taller than him so she could tilt up her chin and look down on him. She crossed her arms to her chest the way Michael did sometimes, and then stuck out her tongue at him. Ernest glared at her. He was scary when he glares but Alethea didn’t move.

“Let’s calm down,” Chiron was saying but Alethea didn’t want to listen to him. She glared at Ernest but he didn’t back away.

“Can’t do anything without your big brother?” Ernest pushed one of his fingers on Alethea’s shoulder. She didn’t like that he did that. So she pushed him to the floor.

“Shut up!” Alethea yelled at him. She didn’t know why she felt sad or angry. She had not meant to cry but ended up crying after pushing Ernest. Alethea didn’t like it. She really didn’t know why. She liked Ernest. He was warm and nice. He told her stories and sometimes he would tell her why she was wrong. She didn’t know why seeing him made her cry, or why it hurt her when he said those words.

Ernest stood up and Alethea pulled her hand out. She was ready to push him if he tried to push her. When he came too close she started to push her hands out. Then Ernest grabbed her hands and held them both on his shoulders, not letting go. Alethea cried even harder.

“It’s okay…” Ernest said. He stepped closer and hugged her tightly. “You’re okay.” Alethea nodded. She didn’t know why she liked that Ernest was hugging her, or that he was telling her she would be okay like how Will and Travis sometimes did it.

“But Will…” she cried into Ernest’ purple shirt. It was new and smelled clean. She felt bad that she was crying on it. It was going to get all sticky, and he looked nice wearing it.

“He’ll be okay too,” Ernest said. He held tighter onto Alethea, it didn’t hurt but it felt strange. “He has Michael with him.”

“Michael is strong.”

“Yes, and he protects everyone.”

“Nico is strong too,” Alethea told Ernest. She didn’t like the idea that only Michael was strong and could protect everyone. “He can protect Will.”

“And he will.”

“Okay…”

“Stop crying and we’ll go get lunch.” Ernest pulled away, but he held on to Alethea’s hand. She was glad he didn’t let go of her hand. She wouldn’t have left if he wasn’t leading her and holding her hand.

As she followed him outside, everyone looked at them. Alethea felt embarrassed and hated the feeling. It was the same feeling when she was at her uncle’s house. Someone was always watching her and telling her she was a liar or saying she was bad. Alethea felt the goosebumps rise on her skin like she was cold. She didn’t feel good. She didn’t like the feeling. She wanted to be back home with Will. She wanted Nico to tell her that Will was okay. She didn’t want Will to leave her like her mom.

Alethea looked up from the ground when Ernest squeezed her hand. He glanced back at her and looked forward again. He didn’t look like he cared that everyone stared. Alethea wondered why? Maybe they were different. Travis had told her that she and Ernest had the same dad, but she didn’t like that thought. Alethea didn’t hate her dad but she didn’t really like him either.

“I swear it, Thea,” Ernest said to her. He stopped walking and turned to her. He held tighter to her hand as she looked into his eyes. “You’re my friend. Even if no one else will think of you I will. We’re friends before anything else.”

“I wanna go home.”

Ernest smiled at her. It was the first time she’d seen him on his own. “Don’t worry Thea, and don’t cry either. You shouldn’t go home sad.”

Alethea frowned. “Is that a rule?”

“It’s something Michael taught me,” he grinned at her. He turned back around and started walking again. Because he was holding her hand she had to follow. Michael pointed towards the sky. “Doesn’t that cloud look like a turtle?”

Alethea looked up. She looked up and smiled, then started to laugh. “No,” she laughed even harder. “It’s a pig.” She laughed all the way to the Apollo table where they could sit down and get lunch. Ernest kept telling her it was a turtle, but it looked like a pig. She wasn’t sure why it was funny but she laughed. When he glared at his food mumbling about cloud turtles Alethea realized she didn’t feel so sad anymore.

“Thank you,” she whispered to him.

* * *

 

“Eat the damn pizza Will!” Connor was sitting on top of Will trying to shove a slice of pizza into his mouth. Will didn’t have enough energy to push Connor off but he mustered enough to keep Connor’s hands and the pizza from his mouth.

“No way in the Underworld!”

“Is that anyway to talk about Nico’s territory?” Connor gritted his teeth as he tried to shove the pizza into Will’s mouth by holding his nose closed. Opened his mouth for a gasp of air since he couldn’t breathe.

“I don’t want pepperoni pizza!” Will grunted out each word as he started to struggle. He lifted his knee up into Connor’s stomach and chest and pushed up. He turned to the side and leveraged Connor off the couch, effectively winning the struggle. “Go away!”

“Will…” Connor seethed as he got off Nico’s living room floor. He threw the pizza in his hand back into the opened pizza box. “Travis ordered the damn pizza because you said you would eat it!”

“I don’t want to eat.” Will knew he was being childish. He couldn’t help it though.

“Stop throwing a tantrum just because Nico won’t come!” Connor growled. He could see the way Connor’s hands clenched and unclenched, that the man was considering strangling him.

“I can do whatever I want!” Will yelled childishly and stubbornly.

“Go to your room!” Connor yelled back at him. Will didn’t even bother giving an answer or correcting the command. He stood up and went to Nico’s room, slamming the door closed.

* * *

 

Connor fell onto the sofa with a heavy sigh. He glared at the spot on the couch that Will had been sleeping on until just ten seconds ago.

He felt a pinch of coldness and glared in the general direction it came from. “Where the Hades have you been?” Connor grumbled, patience wearing thin, before he stood up and left the house. He was tired of cleaning up after these idiots. Wasn’t he supposed to be the younger one? Why was he the one always taking care of them anyways?


	32. "Here is Home"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The irony of the current situation, in which Nico and Will's roles are reversed, finally enlightens Will a bit.

“Will, come out,” a voice muffled from behind the bedroom door.

Will groaned. He’d just gotten into bed, he didn’t want to get up even if he wasn’t sleeping. “Don’t wanna!” He rolled himself up in Nico’s blanket. His scent was no longer on it but Will imagined it was Nico wrapped around him. Pathetic but still.

He heard the door open, and turned around to yell at Connor for picking the lock. Then he froze in place as he stared at Nico, standing in a V-neck gray soft-tee, black jeans, and his aviator jacket. His sword was holstered to his waist and his duffle bag held in his right hand, his keys in the other hand. Will suddenly felt himself flashed back to spring when Michael and Travis had moved into their house and Nico had appeared in front of him again.

“Get off my bed, Will Solace,” Nico said sternly as he threw the duffle onto the floor. With a sigh he took off the belt with his sword and placed it by his bedside as usual. Nico grabbed the sheets but Will held on, furiously denying Nico the luxury of unwrapping him.

“I don’t wanna get out!” Will yelled desperately.

“Get your ass into the living room your stinking bum!” Nico snapped. He yanked the blankets away and grabbed Will. “I just got a call from two very annoying people about your state of health mentally and physically,” Nico growled into Will’s face all while dragging Will across the floor into the living room.

Will had no response, so instead he sat on the couch where he was earlier and pouted. He wanted Nico home, and now that Nico was here he sort of regretted it. All Nico was doing was ordering him around again, and yelling at him.

“What’s with that face?” Nico grumbled as he sat down next to Will. Nico poked Will’s stomach next. “Eat something, it’s grumbling.”

“No it isn’t,” Will said in a soft voice. He didn’t have the energy to talk much less argue.

“Yes it is,” Nico insisted, which annoyed Will. He didn’t like this situation. He didn’t like that it felt like Nico was somehow judging him.

Will glared at the pizza box on the coffee table and opened the box. He grabbed a piece of pizza and started to eat in silence. He didn’t like the taste on his tongue. The pizza wasn’t cold but it felt dry and slimy in his mouth. He forced himself to swallow every bite.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so angry why eating,” Nico said as he nibbled away at his own piece of pizza. Will felt like yelling at the man _known_ for barely eating anything. The irony of the situation was that Nico who was usually starving himself was telling Will not to starve himself. It pissed him off.

Will refused to respond. As he got to the crust Nico handed him a can of Pepsi. He glared at him.

“The crust is kinda dry,” Nico said as he finished his own pizza. Nico licked his fingers and glanced at Will next. “Drink the pop, Solace.”

“Shut up,” he growled, grabbing the can and opening it with one hand. He gulped down half the can just to show Nico he could do it, and went along to finish a second slice of pizza.

When Will was going to grab his third slice Nico stopped him by grabbing his hand and pulling it back onto the couch. “Finish your Pepsi,” Nico said. His voice was that gentle tone again, all quiet and just a bit sultry. He really liked the sound of Nico’s voice when he did that but he really hated it right now.

Will slowly pulled his hand away from Nico, because although Will really just wanted to be close to Nico he really didn’t know where they were anymore in their relationship. Will wrapped his hand around his second can of Pepsi, staring into its opening as though it was a dark abyss. Slowly he drank the Pepsi, and oddly it felt like a part of him was revitalizing with the caffeinated sugary liquid.

“Good,” Nico almost whispered into his ear with that soft voice before he took the can away from Will. Will let himself be led into the bathroom.

“I don’t wanna shower,” Will said. Suddenly he felt exhausted, and a piercing headache threatening to implode his brain.

“A bath would be better,” Nico nodded as if he agreed. He was acting like this was all Will’s idea and that also pissed Will off.

He let Nico fill up the giant bathtub with mildly hot water, then let Nico undress him out of his clothes. Will could see from Nico’s scrunched up face that the man wanted to ask how he lasted a week without bathing in the same clothes. Nico was also probably wondering about his sheets too.

“Get in,” Nico said.

“Don’t wanna.”

A sigh escaped again. Nico rolled up the leg of his jeans, took off his shoes and socks and stepped into the bath. He held a hand out to Will, but Will refused to take it. Nico forced Will into the water, seating him in the bath before getting out slowly and carefully.

“Hey, I’ll be back so don’t drown,” Nico said as he turned off the water to the tub. Will frowned at him in response. “Good boy,” Nico patted his head before walking away with shoes in hand. Will sank into the water up to his nose and closed his eyes. Hot water helped with relaxing muscles. 

* * *

 

Nico only went out for maybe a minute and when he came back Will was sleeping in the tub. He’d put in the bath salts Hazel had given him. It was a part of the company she was working in, something about natural salts or other in the earth or volcanoes. Nico didn’t really know since minerals was more her thing. Not long and he would be transferring the jewelry business into her care too.

He made sure Will’s head was above the water and resting on the edge of the bathtub when he left again. Nico checked his bedroom, removing the sheets and the blanket. He threw them into the washer along with the pillows and pillow cases. He checked on Will again, leaving the bathroom door wide open before he went back into his bedroom.

Nico put in the new sheets and a thin blanket that was silky or velvety. Nico wasn’t sure which he just knew he had hated the slippery like feel when Michael and Travis got him to buy it. Once he got the new pillows put on the bed he threw off his aviator jacket and his shirt before going back into the bathroom.

Will was slowly slipping into the water again so Nico rushed over and pulled Will into a sitting position. The man opened and closed his eyes and mumbled something before his head flopped to one side. Nico almost laughed out loud considering Will looked like he was drunk and delirious.

“Iz hot…”

“I know,” Nico said. He ran a wash towel quickly over Will’s body, watching dead skin float up from the water in the bath. He even shampooed and conditioned Will’s hair, carefully rinsing it out before he washed Will’s back.

“Mm…”

Nico stared at the broad shoulders and strong back muscles. Will had been a bit tall and thin in Nico’s memory, but as years went on his muscles had filled in and now he well-endowed and wonderful. Slowly Nico washed the rippling muscles until Will leaned back and his head fell onto Nico’s shoulder. The splash of his movement echoed into the quiet bathroom walls.

“Bright…”

“We’re done,” Nico said as he sat Will up. He grabbed the towel on the rack and unfolded it. He got Will to stand and wrapped the towel around him before he felt onto Nico for support. Will was taller and larger than Nico, so it seemed difficult to drag Will out of the bath. Instead Nico decided he had to do the one thing he’d never thought he’ll ever do.

“Whoa!” Will gasped in utter relaxed shock. Nico inadvertently smiled as he carried Will like a princess carefully from the bathroom three steps into his bedroom. “Dark…” Will frowned.

“I will turn on the lamps in a bit.”

“Iz k…” Will mumbled, snuggling his wet head and face against Nico’s chest. “Sleepy.”

“Should we cuddle?” Nico asked.

“Yes.”

Nico set Will on his feet, holding him up before he fell onto the bed wet. He put the towel he carried Will into the room with on top of the bed and sat Will down. Nico took another towel from his closet and began to dry Will off. Will was still tired and half-asleep but stared at Nico intently with half-lidded eyes. It made him self-conscious but he ignored the stare.

Nico looked around for Will’s duffle bag for a clean pair of underwear. He didn’t realize how long it took him to try and find it because when he finally gave up and tried to ask Will the man was lying on the bed sleeping. Nico picked Will up and tucked him into bed, putting the towels in the laundry basket and sitting down on his side of the bed. Nico unrolled his jeans down and unzipped his pants.

“Nico…” Will moaned half-asleep as he turned over and threw a hand around Nico’s waist. Nico patted Will’s hand to let him know he was still there. “Cuddle…” Will sighed before seemingly to fall into deep sleep again.

Nico unwrapped the hand, stood up and took off his pants. He put on his sweats and slipped into bed. He drew Will close and looked at the man’s face.

There were dark circles under Will’s eyes. It was obvious he hasn’t been sleeping well. He wondered how long Will’s vacation was and if he was going to the reunion. It had only been a few days but Will seemed thinner, of course something that a few meals and he would bounce back. He was more worried about the emotional and mental state of the man.

Nico fell asleep to Will’s even breathing, glad that he didn’t wait unti nightfall to disappear from Manhantten and come back to Will.

 _Here is home_ , he thought. 

* * *

 

Will woke up with a headache. Disoriented he blinked a few times until he saw Nico sleeping in his arms. He drew Nico close, watching the way Nico burrowed into his chest. He ran his hand through those uncontrollable waves in Nico’s thick black hair. The weight on his chest disappeared with the knowledge that Nico was really there with him.

“I can’t breathe,” Nico gasped. Will immediately let go, watching as Nico sat up to catch his breath. “Finally awake, huh?” Nico looked at him and smiled. Will felt his breath caught in his lungs. It was morning, light barely shining through the shades, and Nico was glorious. Wonderful. Amazing.

“How long…” Will tried to ask but his dry throat cracked. He rang his tongue over the front of his teeth and felt slimy and gross. He could feel the plaque and sugar built up on his teeth.

“Slept through the afternoon into the night. It’s morning already,” Nico told him. He watched Nico slip out of bed. He was wearing gray sweatpants but was reaching into his closet to grab a shirt. He watched Nico put on the shirt but blinked in shock when sweatpants and a muscle shirt was also thrown at his face. “I couldn’t find your clothes so put these on,” Nico ordered in his distant voice. He sounded distant but Will could tell Nico was just irritated because he was never in the right mood in the morning.

Will dressed quickly and followed Nico out of the bedroom. He looked at the coffee table in the living room but the pizza was gone. Nico must have gotten up at some point and cleaned up.

Nico yawned heavily as he headed for the kitchen. “Connor stayed over,” Nico said as they both shuffled into the kitchen and found Connor sitting at the counter. He was eating a bowl of cereal and reading the newspaper with his glasses on. Connor normally didn’t need his glasses, so it was rare to see Connor wearing his eye glasses and reading the newspaper. About the only time Connor wore his glasses was when he was reading the newspaper, and that was only ever in the morning.

Nico sat down as if Connor being there and acting like he lived there wasn’t a problem. Nico grabbed a bowl from his cupboard and proceeded to make his cereal for breakfast. Will just sat and watched the very uneventful, quiet morning unfold. He felt awkward because he really didn’t know how to respond to it.

“Eat,” Nico said and Will blinked out of his focused thought. He looked at Nico who was waving for him to sit across from the counter from him next to Connor. Will moved and sat on the stool next to Connor and watched as Nico studied him for a bit. Nico grabbed the loaf of bread slices on the counter and put in four slices into the four slots of the toaster set in the empty space between the sink and stove.

When Nico came back with the four toasts on a plate with a butter knife and butter from the fridge Will just watch as Nico splattered the butter on. It was as if he lost his train of thought the moment he woke up and saw Nico, but Will really couldn’t seem to hold onto any form of idea at all. He just really wanted to watch Nico doing what he was doing.

“Eat,” Nico handed a piece of buttered toast to Will with a quiet command. Will grabbed the toast, pausing when their fingers touched. Nico didn’t look away and waited until Will took the toast from his hand.

As he was slowly nibbling at the toast he took a peek at what Connor was reading. The print on newspaper was small and hard to read, not to mention between Travis, him and Connor it was Connor who had the most difficulty with dyslexia. It was getting better as they got older, but Connor still needed glasses to help him focus on the letters.

“Prescribed?” Nico randomly asked in one word. Will for a moment couldn’t make the connection for the question until Connor answered.

“Reading.”

“Does it help?” Nico asked next.

“A bit,” Connor replied. “Helps with focusing on the letters. Letters that are in the Greek alphabet is easier to place,” Connor said. He was working on a crossword puzzle and about half-way done. Connor never did crosswords with a pencil, because he would never put down a word unless he knew for certain that was where the word would fit. So even when he was almost done with the crossword it never looked it because he never put in the possible words.

“Jason wears glasses too,” Nico inserted the comment. Will didn’t know why Nico mentioned it though. “He never wears it unless he has to look at something from afar. Kinda stubborn.”

“His choice, I guess,” Connor said. Neither of them sounded committed to the actual conversation. It was like they were just talking about the weather. “Leaving today?”

“I can work from home for now,” Nico said, eating his cereal. The quiet crunch filled the silence. Will didn’t know how long had passed until he was down to his last bite of bread and Nico handed him another buttered toast. Just as he started on the bread he saw Connor vigorously putting in words. Twenty seconds later Connor was done and flipped the pages to the front to read the newspaper again.

Nico grabbed the last section of the newspaper when Connor was going back to the front, pulling out the comics section. He calmly started reading as he ate the rest of his cereal. Occasionally Nico would smile or smirk as he read the dry humor of some of the comics. Nico then finished reading and exchanged the comics section with Connor and grabbed the business section.

When Will finished his second piece a third one was not handed to him. He sat there awhile watching between Connor’s intent reading on current news and Nico’s engrossed reading of the business section. Then Nico handed the business section to Connor who’d been waiting for it and started reading the obituaries.

For a second he thought that was weird but then remembered part of Nico’s job was running a multimillion business in funeral proceedings and burials. It wasn’t strange at all, especially since Will could recall the few mornings they had spent together eating breakfast. Nico had always been reading the newspaper and had always paid attention to the obituaries for potential clients.

Nico paused in his reading to put the dishes in the sink to wash later. He came back from the fridge with already _Yoplait_ yogurt and handed the one-serving container to Will with a spoon. Will was hesitant but slowly ate the yogurt, watching as Nico sat back down across from Will and continued reading as he ate a slice of bread.

Will decided for now it was okay. Nothing dramatic, nothing heavy or harsh. For now they could just ease back to where they were and maybe plan for a different course. Will was find with that. So he slowly ate his strawberry yogurt, feeling how it coolly sat inside his stomach where the fluttering butterflies were.


	33. Confrontation - Nico, Will, and Connor

On the third morning Nico shadow-traveled back, he landed in the bushes just about three blocks from his house. The good thing was that it was early morning so no one ever noticed if he ended up somewhere strange. Once, he had shadow-traveled right behind trashcans and tripped into them as he was stepping out of the shadows.

As he rushed his way back to the house, he thought of Will’s progress through the week. He’d gotten better. Although Connor disapproved of Nico going back and forth between Manhattan and Saint Paul, he didn’t say too much on the fact. Nico suspected that Connor never told Will that he’d been going back and forth the last few days. Nico wondered if he should let Will continue assuming Nico has been staying at the house this entire time. He could see where that would land him if he didn’t tell Will soon.

Will had recovered faster than expected. He ate diligently, and was back to cooking simple meals. He had more color to his face, and was even exercising by doing his normal routine of stretches and strength training. Nico could see that there were times Will completely detached. His eyes wandered away as he went into deep thought, then he would continue doing whatever he’d been doing. Will had only a couple days before his vacation ended, and Nico wasn’t sure Will could attend the week long reunion when he’d just gotten out of a vacation.

Nico knocked into the mailbox post just as he was making a turn into the driveway. He bit back the pain. The realization that he had perceived the mailbox and his turn wrong didn’t register as much. Nico was blinking a little more and glaring because he couldn’t quite see the details around him. He figured it was just from the haziness of the morning.

Just as he unlocked the door and walked in he felt his vision sway. Nico held it out and stood still until the bronze doorknob in his hand became clear. Then he looked up and turned to the living room to see Connor pacing the length of the living room frantically.

“Shit…” Connor cursed as Nico closed the door.

“What?” Nico asked. He sat down on the couch in front of where Connor paced. It definitely wasn’t because Nico no longer felt like spending energy by standing, just that his knees suddenly felt too weak to hold up his weight.  He let his eyes be cooed into following Connor pace back and forth again. The memory of Will doing so more than once in the same spot overlapped with Connor.

Nico didn’t repeat his question. He waited because he didn’t feel like repeating himself, not because he felt like yawning if he opened his mouth to say something.

“You’re early,” Connor noted.

Nico was only early by twenty minute at most. He didn’t see how that was a problem. He wanted to go to bed with Will in it, and he’d just gotten off his late night shift at Percy’s. While throwing the thoughts about the powerhouse of demigods out of his mind he took note of Connor now standing still facing him. Connor bit his lower lip and then quickly turned away with a whispered frustration. In the times he spent watching Michael and Travis’ relationship, Nico had picked up on a few perks from the older Stoll brother. Travis bit his lips when he was wracking his brain over something. Connor seemed to have the same tell.

“You’re early man!” Connor repeated. Nico could tell Connor gave up trying to lie or cover up something he knew Nico was going to find out soon. That was if Nico felt any inclination to get off his couch at the moment. “Gods, Will is going to freak if you…” The blur of a man’s voice died out. Nico wasn’t sure if he’d just stopped listening or if Connor had stopped talking.

“What has Will been doing?” Nico asked suspiciously when his eyes sharpened on Connor again.

Just then Will walked through the front door with a heavy and tired sigh. He tossed the heavy gym bag on the floor by the closet in front of the front door. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but the gym bag seemed heavy for a morning routine. Unusually bulgy and heavy.

“Perfect timing,” Connor grumbled with sarcastic meaning. He walked away and went into the kitchen.

“N-Nico!” Will smiled nervously when Nico turned to the man. From the corner of his eye Nico registered Connor walking away with two sandwiches on a plate into the guest room. “You’re… um…” The larger man actually twitched. Unless that was Nico imagining things. He was sure Will flinched though, seeing how nervous he was and all.

“You’ve been sneaking out,” Nico stated instead of questioned. Will looked even guiltier as he meekly approached Nico. Nico couldn’t find the strength to stand and confront Will so he stayed seated.

“Not exactly… And so have you.”

“You are the one who needs to get back into shape,” Nico pointed out.

“I am in shape.”

“You know what I mean, Solace.”

Will seemed angry but it was quickly snuffed out as Will seemed to retreat. “I went back to work early. I’ve been picking up late night shifts since Michael is assigned to someone else at the moment.” Nico felt like there was more to the explanation. Will didn’t want to say it though.

Nico didn’t really have any strength of will to argue. He didn’t really have a notion to do anything even as he forced himself to stand so he could face Will standing in front of him. Will looked really defend his case but Nico already wanted to give up arguing. It was Will’s job regardless of his psychological, emotional or physical stress.

“And you’ve probably been gone all day hunting monsters again,” Will’s words seeped into Nico’s brain. He couldn’t seem to focus. 

* * *

 

Will was listing the reasons why he felt he was okay to go to work, and why Nico shouldn’t be complaining when Nico heavily exhaled through his nose. His eyes were closed, eyebrows knitted and his hand was moving to rub the place between his eyes. He’d never seen Nico do this except for when he was really tire of Will’s company back during their Camp Half-Blood days.

A part of him suddenly jumped alive. He grabbed Nico and pulled him into a hug, and Nico completely relaxed into his arms. No, more like collapsed into his arms. Nico left his entire weight on Will.

Letting his instincts guide him, Will hefted Nico into his arms and carried the man into the bedroom a few feet away. Will called out for Connor loudly, but Nico winced from the volume of his voice despite falling in and out of consciousness. Will had Nico quickly undressed into sleepwear by the time Connor had slowly taken his time to show up. Will didn’t spare Connor a glance as he knew the man was standing at the door waiting for his instructions.

Will found paper and pen in one of the nightstands and began to make a list of items. He handed it to Connor and instructed his friend to find the items in the house and buy the rest posthaste. When looking through the list Connor asked him where he could find unicorn draught in Minnesota.

“You’re the resourceful one, figure something out!” Will snapped at him. He took off the watch on his wrist and put it on the nightstand. “Go,” he growled, knowing he was unjustly commanding Connor. Connor glared for a moment, not at Will but at the fact that he would have to dust off his merchant-traders skills and utilize them.

In the middle of checking Nico’s temperature by putting his hand on Nico’s forehead, face and neck, Will realized he hadn’t even hesitated. He thought that after last year, after becoming a police officer, and finding another path in life that he would forget this feeling. The feeling of wanting to heal another person. To sooth their pain and help them return to their normal life healthy and hearty.

The moment he had pulled Nico into his arms the symptoms came into his mind. The second he touched Nico’s forehead, face and cheek with his bare hand he knew what was wrong. Nico had been shadow-traveling. He was over-exhausted. Like a car running on empty. Not only that, he knew the reason was because of him. Nico had worried about him. Will had made him worry. Will was supposed to be the strong one, the healthy one… the one reliable one when someone was hurt or sick. Of all the people in his life Nico had worried, the same way his mother worried despite knowing Will had a higher resistance to a lot of things.

Nico was lying in his bed unconscious like he was a year and a half ago because of Will.

Will didn’t realize how long he’d sat next to Nico’s bed pondering. When Connor came in Will hadn’t even noticed until Connor snapped at him.

“Too afraid of your diagnosis?” Connor asked.

Will didn’t answer. Diagnosis? Will already knew what it was.

“Or are you going to let Nico get worse because you vowed never to be a doctor?” Connor asked in a louder voice.

Will still did not answer. What could he say?

“I’m not telling you what to do Will,” Connor said with a sigh. He made certain Will noticed what he put down next to Will. A first aid kit with a skull sticker. Will recognized it immediately. “But I am going to tell you that Nico has given you enough chances.”

Will turned from Nico to Connor. What was that supposed to mean? Connor, who was always supporting him and Travis was telling him that he was going to lose Nico? Connor, the guy who would jump on a bus and literally fly to his friend’s aid at a second’s notice, sounded like he was ready to give up.

“Will, no one is as fortunate as you to get so many chances to be with the person they’re meant to be with,” Connor said.

“You mean a soulmate?”

Will had also never heard Connor speak that way. He also knew that Connor was speaking from his own feelings, from the lost chances, the regret and the sorrow he was still enduring after so many years. Connor was telling him not to repeat his mistakes.

“I know it isn’t exactly something we believe in,” Connor said, but he stood proud and confident. Unwavering and unmoving in his belief. “But how many more chances do you need to get before your heart catches up?” Connor asked him. “Nico has been in love with you since the war. It might have started out as just interest or a crush, but anyone observant enough knows the reason he came out to Percy and basically the entire camp was because of you.”

Will stood up, shocked by this news. _He_ was the reason Nico came out?

“Nico stayed because you reached out.”

Nico stayed at Camp for Will.

“Then he left, because it was obvious you were too slow to realize how Nico felt.”

Nico left because of Will.

Suddenly, without Connor having to tell him a world of revelation opened up in Will’s memories. He felt his heart panicking, racing, clawing away and wishing to bury itself in agony. He clutched at it, knowing full well the act would be meaningless.

“Nico was there when we went to Percy’s during the quest, remember?” Connor pointed out. “He opened the door before we could knock, he took you in his arms and do you know what happened next?” Will shook his head, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. “He said ‘don’t cry’ in Italian. Over and over again, holding on to you, he just kept repeating the words. Like he was telling himself and not Alethea. I think that was the first time he broke apart.”

“Why…” Will finally asked. He finally found the words to say something, and it was a question to an answer he already knew. “Why do you know all this? Why are you telling me?” Will wanted to shout, but his voice croaked and held no confidence. All he could do was feel guilty and lost like the first time he’d realized how badly he hurt Nico.

“Because Will, you are someone I care about,” Connor said with all the confidence in the world. “I used to think I loved you, but facing the way Nico loves you I’m sure I’m mistaken. Because I wouldn’t be able to stand being constantly hurt, or reminded that you don’t love me. So like I said,” Connor smiled at him and for the first time Will also realize how hurt Connor was. Connor who was the backbone in his support system, Connor who got on a bus and would fly right away to Travis or Will when they needed. Connor who was here now because he was worried. Connor was hurt, but Will and Travis have barely done as much as Connor has for them.

“Will,” Connor repeated in a softer tone and a smile so sad Will could only describe it as somber, “Nico has given you enough chances.” The look in his eyes melted away into a sadness that Connor held back. “He’s been grasping at straws just so he won’t drown. If you don’t have what it takes to love Nico the way he loves you, then be a man and love him any way you can.”

“I’m only a man,” came Will’s pathetic excuse.

Connor’s reply was eye-opening. Will felt foolish the moment Connor said them. “Even gods are merely fools when it comes to love. If they weren’t, we wouldn’t exist. Love is not perfect.”


	34. Revealed, Places Untouched

Nico forced himself to wake up, but the tears still streamed down his face. He moved his hand to reach out to Will sleeping knelt at his bedside. Ignoring that his hand was handcuffed to Will’s again, Nico touched Will’s warm face and breathed a sigh of relieve.

“Will…” Nico’s voice shook. “Will, hey, wake up.” Nico hadn’t recollected himself yet but waking up Will to look at him was more important.

“Did you see it?” Connor’s soft voice asked. Nico looked up to the bedroom door, finding the man leaning against the doorpost. “Will’s dream. He told me about it once.”

Nico knew he was glaring, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit angry. Connor did have similar features to Travis who Will saw as his own replacement at Nico’s side. What a ridiculous notion really.

“Of course Will would never admit that because he was drunk and wouldn’t really remember it. He wasn’t at his best a year ago,” Connor said. He didn’t move from his spot. “It’s the one where everything is perfect, you’re happy and you’re at a wedding and worrying over stuff,” Connor waved his hand in the area for the general picture, “And then darkness.” Nico didn’t say anything but that darkness felt oddly familiar. “He’s scared and cold, basically freaking out. Then he told me light pierced through, like it’s some melodrama and he was saved by the will of God, you know?” Connor chuckled to himself. Nico just waited, seeing the dream again as Connor explained it. “Then Alethea’s in a valley and so are you. You two walk right on through him. Well,” Connor shrugged as he looked up and tried to recollect the description from memory. “I guess he said it broke like glass. Something like those TV things, I’m not really sure. I’m not the type to wax poetry.”

Nico fought over the urge to say: _“No, you tell tall tales,”_ because what Connor was saying was right. It was Will’s dream, the dream that was shared to Nico because he’d invaded it. And why he invaded it was because Nico had been so desperate and weak to survive he was willing to find strength from that small little spark in another person’s dream.

“He said after he saw you kissing another guy. Of course Will was drunk when he was telling me, and his attention span wasn’t really spot on. So I’m not sure if he saw you kissing another guy in reality or not, but it seemed to tear him apart a lot worse than he already was—and he was at his worse.” Nico bit in the inside of his cheek and turned his gaze anywhere but Connor’s clear blue eyes pieced him with the truth. “He wouldn’t talk about the last part, just kept repeating one word.”

Nico knew the word.

“Anyways, I’m going,” Connor cleared his throat and announced. “Take care of him, Nico di Angelo.” Nico didn’t reply as Connor shrugged his shoulders before leaving. “I loved him too, but we all know he’s yours.”

Wait. What?

Nico stared at Connor but the guy had already disappeared. Trust a child of Hermes to be just as stealthy. Nico glanced down at Will.

“Wake up,” Nico bent down and whispered into Will’s ear. “How much did you hear?” he asked as Will pulled his head up and rubbed his eyes. He had sensed that Will was awake at one point why Connor was proving that he did indeed know about the dream Nico had invaded. Connor sharing it also meant Will has had it several times before.

“The part about Travis…” Will answered bashfully, clearing his throat and not looking Nico in the eye. With his downcast gaze Will’s long eyelashes stood out, and somewhere inside Nico he felt amazed by the mere thought that he was still amazed by parts of Will he hadn’t noticed yet.

“Oh so it was Travis I was kissing?” Nico feigned ignorance.

Will leaned back a little, creating distance between them. Nico decided to go on. “I’ve always wondered why Travis and Connor were so interested about us kissing back then. What, did you guys just want to compare? Something like how long you are or how thick you are?”

“It wasn’t like that!”

Will was standing, Nico’s hand hanging in the air suspended by the cuff that kept him and Will together. Will suddenly recalled the handcuff but looked at Nico.

“You really have a thing about bondage,” Nico also added.

Will growled under his breath.

Nico laughed as he yanked Will onto the bed and rolled on top of the bigger man. Nico held Will’s face and looked into his blue eyes. Eyes that so resembled a beautiful sunny day.

“I love you.”

Will laid underneath Nico in silence. He could see the way the man tried to read Nico’s intentions. The way he distrusted the notion and yet knew it to be true.

“I love you,” he said again.

“I know.”

“I love you,” he repeated once more.

“I know…”

Each time he repeated his proclamation Will said he knew, and each time Will’s resolve slowly became less confident. Nico continued to declare his love, never wavering his gaze from those beautiful blues. He saw the way Will’s face muscles gave up and became slack, the way Will’s blue eyes wavered and began to blink and look away from him more constantly. He watched the way Will’s confidence in saying “I know” slowly broke.

“I love you.”

“I KNOW!” Will snapped this time. He didn’t struggle but simply turned his face away from Nico. The frustration was in his eyes.

“I love you,” Nico said again.

“Fates,” Will sighed with the sense of giving up, “I know already. Stop saying it.”

“Why?”

“Just…”

“You told me you like when I’m gentle,” Nico pointed out. Will frowned. “You did.”

“I said no such thing,” Will denied as he tried to push Nico off without using all his strength. “Now get off.” Nico tried not to roll his eyes. Will wasn’t even really trying.

“I also promised I’ll hold your hand.” Nico traced his hand over the arms he held over Will’s head on the pillows. He laced his fingers with Will’s and smiled just a little. Will’s gaze was that of a suspicious cop. Drawing close until there was barely space between their bodies Nico said in a softer voice imitating his gentle tone, “Hugs and cuddles in beds.” Will pursed his lips, this time glaring at Nico. It was also very obvious Will was turning the slightest pink from embarrassment of being reminded of his previous behavior. “And…” Nico drew closer to Will as he whispered, “kisses.” He lingered just over Will’s lips as Will’s stubbornness broke and he leaned forward to kiss Nico himself.

What happened after that was much of a heated blur. Will managed to take off the cuff while in the process of kissing Nico and pulling his shirt over his chest. Somehow they’d gotten under the sheets naked.

Nico broke their heated kiss, breathing heavily with Will as he set his forehead with Will’s in frustration. Will’s hands were on his hips, kneading the skin and curves there. Hades, he loved how free and open Will was during sex. He had the vague egotistical idea that no matter what he did Will would submit to it, the only part that bothered him was that Will would probably do it thinking he owed Nico this.

“I love you,” Nico whispered again, knowing it would probably stop whatever they had going.

“Damn, shut up Nico,” Will groaned in annoyance. “I know you love me, stop making me feel bad.” Will grabbed Nico’s head and forced him down for another heated kiss, Will’s tongue roving into his mouth.

“I’m gonna ride you,” Will said when he broke the kiss.

“No.”

“What?”

Nico smiled as he pressed a hand on Will’s muscled chest and kept him on the bed. “You’re good to go bare right?” Will nodded, staring in confusion at Nico’s every move. Nico reached into the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out a pack of condoms and a bottle of lubricant. He dropped both items at the side of the bed next to Will’s head.

Just before Will could ask him what he was intending to do, Nico scooted down Will’s length of muscled body and took in the half-erect cock into his mouth. He heard the way Will sucked in breath through his teeth and how he gasped for breath as Nico went down on him. His technique was a little different from Will’s, in that he didn’t tease a man. Nico went for instant pleasure and exploring Will’s cock in his mouth for the first time allowed him to find the best way to make Will ejaculate.

“Ah…” Will made the sweetest strangled sound. “Nico I’m…” The man’s hand instinctively went for Nico’s hair, his pleasured member driving him with the need to abuse Nico’s mouth. “Nico…” He felt how tightly Will held on because the strength of those fingers tangled in his hair bordered on pulling his hair off.

Moments later Will’s heavy breath and oaths could be heard. Nico removed his mouth, slurping the remainder of cum on his lips with his tongue. Will tried to ask if he swallowed but Nico took his attention off that by climbing over Will.

“Did I tell you?” Nico asked, as he opened the bottle of lube and warmed it in his hand. He slicked his fingers but kept his gaze on the rather mesmerized Will studying every part of Nico’s slightly leaner body. “I love you Will.” Nico said the words in a tone he didn’t recognize just as he reached his slicked hand around inserted a finger into his hole.

“Gods…” Will groaned as he watched Nico prep his own ass on top of the man.

Nico managed in ragged breath, “I really…” he took a deep breath, “rather not…” he smiled, “not think of them now.” Will sat up, wrapping his arm around Nico and reaching down to where Nico’s fingers were. “I don’t need…” Nico was in the middle of saying he didn’t require Will’s participation but then the man spread Nico’s cheeks with his hands kneading Nico’s butt. Will pulled Nico forward, bumping their cocks together.

Gasping for breath Nico was in the middle of being rubbed on slowly and sensually while simultaneously spreading his ass by playing with it. That has probably been the most Nico has ever gone for anyone. More than the magnitude of risking his life or his pride, Nico was giving his ass-virginity to a man who didn’t think he deserved it.

Nico used his other hand and pushed Will back down on the bed. He signaled for Will to wait and moved the man’s hands from his cheeks to his hips. He kept his gaze on Will as he spread himself and positioned his entrance over Will’s protruding member. As it slowly went in inch by inch Nico felt the sharp pain of resistance. Holding back the pain Nico kept his gaze on Will who in turn kept his gaze on Nico. Those sky blue eyes finally had it. Nico smiled.

There he was. The Will that Nico first fell in love with. The passion flickering in that gaze, the indomitable Will. Nico lowered himself down on Will and watched the need burning in his eyes, his features not hardening or softening but schooled in the cool image of a doctor.

The hands on his hips gripped him firmly and then pushed him down quickly. Instantaneously, Will pushed up.

Nico didn’t recall what happened after but nothing was happening when he regained strength and conscious control. It seemed as though Will had gone inside him completely but he wasn’t exactly sure. Nico was pretty certain that Will was longer that what it felt like inside him. Then he recalled Will was still underneath him waiting for his next move. Nico started going up and down, slowly searching for pleasure without overexerting pain.

“More…” Nico breathed, despite the pain he felt. He endured the pain and relished the pleasure. Nico strapped down and moved vigorously seeking something no one has ever given him before.

* * *

 

“Wait Nico,” Will tried to halt the man. Not that he didn’t like the way the man moved on top of him, the way Nico pressed forward when he came as far down as he could before going back up, or any other part. “Wait.” Will held up a hand to Nico’s chest. He could see how Nico was already lost in frustration trying to reach the same point that Will had been taken to by Nico the first and second time he’d been entered.

“Will…” Nico’s voice resonated with a reliance he’d never heard from Nico before. “Please…” Will wasn’t arrogant enough to think that Nico was begging him. In fact the very words that jumped out at him were the ones that Nico’s didn’t say, it was in the look of his dark eyes scrunched in frustration and pain.

The truth was that Nico was always in control. He put himself in control, the reason why he was always top, the reason he hated being told to do things, and why he didn’t like how Will messed up everything and rarely ever thought ahead the way he did. Nico was willing to receive Will this time, but even now he was still in control. It was the look in his eyes that told Will though, the look that said everything Nico couldn’t say.

“Nico, slowly,” Will begged. His grip on Nico’s hips tightened and held Nico just before he started going back up on Will’s member. “Please. I don’t want you hurt.” Will look into Nico’s eyes and let himself bathe in the sensation that coursed through his veins just looking at this man. Forcing himself Will reminded Nico, “You just woke up from a coma.”

“It’s only been a few hours.”

“How would you know?” Will challenged.

“Connor was still wearing the clothes he had on when I came in,” Nico smirked. Look at that, Nico smiling all on his own. Will wanted to etch every part of this in his memory. He already realized how fragile their relationship was, and how devastated he came to be just by taking a break. Will probably would have nothing left but the memory of this man and their times together when they broke up.

Nico frowned for a moment, the look in his eyes and the way it searched him was something Will recognized. It was Nico trying to decipher and understand something from all angles. He’s seen Nico do the same in front of contracts or while studying on funeral rites. He’s seen it once when Hazel talked to Nico about different minerals and expensive stones from a big book but all Nico had understood was the big names like diamonds and emeralds.

To avoid Nico’s current thoughts or the likely loss of his claim on Nico’s strength to do things, Will kissed the man in hopes he would focus on that instead. He felt Nico relax into the kiss and took that chance to flip Nico over onto his back. Nico groaned and then glared at Will like he’d been betrayed. The only reaction Will could think of in reply to that smothering look was to grin cheekily at him.

“I will remember this,” Nico grumbled heatedly. Even while looking defiant Nico let Will pull his hands over his head and hold it down.

“Just trust me on this,” Will pleaded with a groan. Nico opened his mouth to answer but Will swooped in and kissed him instead. Slowly he moved in and out, inching slowly into Nico. He kept his gaze on Nico when he wasn’t kissing the man’s lips or any other part of his skin.

When Will finally reached all the way, seeing how Nico’s eyes blazed and his lips part with a tight gasp, he knew he had Nico. He finally touched Nico where he’d never allowed anyone else to touch. Will watched every moment of it as Nico arched off the bed gasping for more, and tossed his head back. Will tried to move in rhythm and watch Nico lose himself in pleasure, but he too lost himself in that pleasure.

He let go of Nico’s hands so he could wrap an arm around Nico’s knee. Finding more ways to maneuver himself again Will smiled into a kiss with Nico just before plunging deeper into him. Nico broke their kiss with a sharp gasp, and then moaned as Will continued to hit that part of him. That sensitive, hidden, untouched part Nico had never let anyone seen before.

Will watched Nico melt and become undone under him and found his own satisfaction. It wasn’t quick, and it wasn’t hot. He wasn’t as practiced with a man as Nico and yet they both finally… finally…

“Will…” Nico’s freed hands were on his shoulders gripping tightly. Nico’s dark eyes were like molten lava, burning and simmering like dusk and the last ray of the sun. “Will, I…” Nico’s hand slid down to Will’s chest just over his heart. “I…” Nico gasped and then moaned as Will breached him just a little more and hit his sweet spot again. Nico still struggled to say those words, desperately repeating a confession he knew Will would never say. “I love…”

“I love you,” Will said just before his thrusts became more erratic. He saw the shock, and then saw the doubt that clouded those burning eyes. Will didn’t kiss Nico as he took the man to his peak and watched his body become limp from satisfaction.

Will ran his hand through Nico’s long shaggy hair. He tried imagining Nico with short hair, but all he could do was see the fourteen-year-old Nico who’d shadow-travelled a giant statue all the way back to Camp. All he could see was the guy so bent on justice and fairness that he was repulsed by the very notion of someone who lived in dishonor.

Not really wondering what drove him to it, or the consequences, he kissed Nico one more time. The man looked into his eyes, pleasure glossed over in his gaze. Will smiled, knowing Nico was conscious enough to understand him, “I love you Nico di Angelo.” He watched alarm strike Nico and smiled before kissing the man again.


	35. "Good Morning Beautiful"

Nico groaned out loud as Will covered Nico’s back with his body. He was used to pain but this kind of pain was torture. He didn’t mind the soreness but the sharp pain and the burn from being overtaxed with Will’s passions was a different kind of pain. Part of Nico regretted bottoming with a same-sex virgin. Another part was thrilled with Will's aggressiveness.

Closing his eyes Nico recalled Will's personality from the night before. It started out quite usual, and then passionate as was normal for them. Insatiability seemed to be something normal for couples who avoided emotional complications—at least from what

Michael Kahale told him. Will was unusually aggressive, almost instinctively barbarous... yet creative.

“Sorry, am I heavy?” Will asked as he lifted himself to hover over Nico’s exposed back. Nico grunted, stuffing his face deeper into the pillow. He wished he could dig himself a hole into the Underworld. Remembering Will’s creativity made Nico want to shout at the top of his lungs. “Or…” Will’s voice wavered, “Now you don’t want to spend time together…”

Nico managed to elbow Will in the gut without causing himself too much pain. Will grunted and rolled over back onto his side of the bed. After all they’ve been through trying to get to where they were now, Will still found some way to infuriate him. Somewhere in his head, as Nico ignored the pain to lift himself up on his knees and straddle Will’s hips, Percy’s voice said with that goofy smile of his: _“Where there’s a Will there’s a way.”_

Settling on top of Will’s lap butt-naked made it very obvious when he felt a warm hardness rubbing underneath him. Nico stared coolly at Will and watched the way the man’s eyes heated up. Arousal was easy to read but there was this look in Will Solace’s eyes that was familiar and different. It was like he was looking at the Will Solace he fell for when he was fourteen. The healer, the man who sang old Backstreet Boys songs out loud… his Will was staring back at him. Then there was a part of that gaze that was different and instinctual. Like Will was looking at prey. Nico wanted to see that. He wanted to see the imperfect Will Solace at his basest level, no jokes or tricks, no flattery or dodging. Just Will.

“I am here,” Nico said with a dried voice. There were things he wanted to explain to Will but he didn’t really know how to. He couldn’t really say. The thoughts came up but the words would not.

“Yea you are,” Will smiled up at him. His eyes turned warm with his smile.

It was frustrating that Nico couldn’t get Will to understand. For lack of a voice and better words Nico grabbed Will’s hand and pressed his palm over Nico’s chest. He saw the understanding flash in Will’s eyes the moment he realized his hand laid directly over Nico’s heart. “You…” Nico managed to gasp out of his dried voice. “Always,” he almost mouthed as his voice disappeared. Understanding sparked as Will sat up and looked deeply into Nico’s eyes.

“Yeap, I got that,” Will assured Nico with a smile before pulling Nico close for a hug. “Thank you.” Those were not words Nico had wanted to hear. “For not giving up your feelings, thank you.” Nico didn’t know what to think or say. It was like Will knew what Nico had wanted to explain and yet Nico wasn’t exactly glad about it.

He couldn’t quite describe the feeling. It wasn’t unsettling. In fact he knew he should be glad or happy, but it was almost like he was void of such an emotion. Perhaps it had been too long since he ever felt truly happy about something? Since he felt relieved beyond words. Nico felt he got what he wanted and what he thought he needed. He wasn’t sure if Will’s words were what he needed to hear.

What was so different from his words now and the night before when they were having sex? It couldn’t have been the heat of the moment. Nico knew not to trust in things said during sex. Yet something felt off.

“Nico?”

He looked back to Will. What should he say? _“Thanks for your words, I’m not really feeling it.”_ Nico was glad Will appreciated that he never stopped loving the tone-deaf fool. But those weren’t the words Nico was waiting on. They weren’t the words or had the same meaning as the words said to him the night before.

“Hey, Nico.” The man in question grabbed Nico’s face and pulled it close to his own. Nico blinked a few times, adjusting to the close proximity of Will Solace’s near flawless face if it wasn’t for the tiny scar that clipped part of his left eyebrow from three years ago when Nico tried to kill him in a sparring match. “I… uh…” Will looked away. He continued to stutter and mumble for another minute. Nico didn’t recall Will being so without speech before Will had received the prophecy.

Perhaps that macho-policeman thing finally rubbed on. Will was suddenly often very confused with his words, not sure which ones to say and which ones not to say. Watching the man scramble for his words was entertainment enough, knowing he felt just the slightest torture and panic over it was the cherry on top.

Will took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He focused in on Nico and finally decided on his intention. Putting each hand on Nico’s shoulder Will strongly clutched on.

“Nico I’m only going to say this once and no arguments or take-backs okay?” Will waited a few seconds of silence before continuing. Another deep breath. Nico waited patiently, watching the way Will looked him straight in the eyes. Then very seriously and solemnly Will said, “We’re having pancakes.”

Nico would have burst into laughter if his throat wasn’t so dry. He was parched. All Nico could think about was drinking water, and then wondering what in the Underworld did he actually have in his refrigerator. He’s always wondered how it was that Will magically made edible homemade food when Nico barely ever had any food in his refrigerator to begin with.

Opting for a smile instead he kissed Will before pushing the man away and getting out of bed. Leave it to Will Solace.

* * *

 

“You’re amazing you know that?” Will leaned over the kitchen island counter after setting breakfast down in front of Nico across from him. He watched as Nico gave him a confused look, then a disgusted one before looking down and eating his blueberry pancakes.

Nico was drinking water when Will decided to add, “I never knew someone could stay in that position for so long you know.” Nico choked on his water as Will held back his laughter. The glare Nico sent him was teary eyed from coughing.

“Gonna…” Nico coughed as he gasped out the words, “Hurt you.”

It has been a long time since Will last saw Nico’s deadly glare. The kind that made Will want to be more mischievous and playful. Of course Will had more of a handle to his pranks than the Stoll brothers. He also knew that Nico hated near all of his jokes and pranks. Never once cracking a smile when he tried to prank Nico or others in the infirmary. Nico was a hard egg to crack. All puns intended.

“Come on,” Will laughed. “I mean rigid Nico di Angelo who is always giving orders was…” Will paused because he knew even for decency sake he shouldn’t say more. Also because the kitchen temperature almost immediately dropped to subzero. “Nico, it’s just amazing when I remember yesterday.” Will gazed into Nico’s dark eyes as he remembered the hot mess the both of them were yesterday.

Nico looked like he was about to say something but instead his gaze went from soft and loving to heated glare. His man stood up and walked away. It was a reaction Will wasn’t expecting out of Nico. Worried, Will followed after Nico into the living room.

“Nico,” Will called out to him. He was going to apologize for making Nico angry when Nico slapped his hand away. “Hey,” Will snapped, irritated. “Nico, you need to calm down man.”

“I’m trying!” Nico yelled, his voice disappearing because he hadn’t hydrated adequately. Nico’s back was to Will but he seemed more frustrated than angry based on his posturing.

“Wait, Nico are you even angry?” Will asked. If what he suspected was true Will was going to get hurt very soon. He ventured his guess, “Are you… embarrassed?”

Nico swung around so fast and struck him in the jaw Will didn’t even know how to react. When he got his bearings again Nico was leaning over him on the floor very closely.

“You okay?” Nico asked in his gasp-y voice.

“Your punches keep getting stronger,” Will groaned as he sat up. Nico’s cool hand braced Will’s cheek where he’d been struck. “I’m fine, really,” he assured as he held his hands up to back Nico off. A lot about the past made sense now that he applied how Nico hid his embarrassment. It was cute thinking about it. “You need to drink some more water,” he changed the subject.

They spent most of what was left of the morning watching Netflix. Will didn’t bring up again how he realized that Nico got angry when he was unbearably embarrassed. It was too cute to speak out loud.

“Do you really have to sit so far?” Will asked Nico as they waited for the next episode of _Supernatural_ to start. Glancing to the other end of the sofa the one cushion space between him and Nico felt like an entire room’s distance. “Also, I can’t believe you like this show.”

A blast of cold struck Will so hard he almost curled in for warmth. It was probably a good idea _not_ to make fun of Nico’s favorite shows.

“Bet you like watching _Arrow_ and _the Flash_ too, huh?” Will chuckled as he kept his eyes forward. He didn’t want to face Nico’s stink eyes just yet. It was strangely refreshing to tease Nico and he wanted to see how far he could go. “Are you also into sci-fi stuff? _Star Trek_ or something?” This time when he looked at Nico the man was staring at him with an almost disgusted look. “What?”

“ _Stargate_ ,” Nico said bluntly as his face relaxed into a disinterested look again. Will couldn’t help but laugh. Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, the King of Ghost… believed in aliens. “I swear over the River Styx, Will…” Nico started as his voice grew angrier and his mood colder.

“Ah, don’t finish it,” Will interrupted as he stopped laughing.

“-If you don’t shut up I’ll-”

Will leapt toward Nico and covered his mouth before he could finish his oath. Sighing with relief when he averted Nico’s oath-making Will put his head down on Nico’s shoulder.

“Nico,” Will looked up and made eye contact with Nico and whispered as if afraid the gods would overhear, “I’m going to remove my hand. Don’t…” Will then cautiously removed his hand.

Nico glared at him. Will gave him a cheeky smile. It has been a long time since Will last met that smothering glare but felt joy over it. When Nico didn’t say anything, just simply stare at him, Will lost his smile.

“I was going to say,” Nico smiled before he started laughing and dry coughing at the same time. Will was at a lost for a moment but then he felt himself revel in Nico’s laughter. “If you didn’t shut up…” Nico burst into chuckles and before looking Will in the eyes, “I was going to kiss you.” Nico laughed again.

Not even a second.

Will went for Nico’s lips without hesitation and kissed the man. The kiss started out passionate and rough. Slowly their kiss transformed into soft sucking kisses and lip-locks.

“Oh, sorry,” Will gasped as he pulled away. Nico blinked up at him, his eyes slowly focusing on Will in confusion. Realizing he reacted in alarm Will desperately tried to find something else to say. “Well…” Will said after muttering to himself for a few seconds, “this is embarrassing.”

Nico asked him with a flat monotone voice, “You want to top again?” Nico’s legs wrapped around Will’s hips and pressed their crotches together. Will instantly felt himself heat up in various spots throughout his body. Nico pulled Will back down on him and whispered into his ear in a cool and quiet tone, “Or do you want me to show you how it’s done?”

Will smiled. He let himself fall on top of Nico like melted butter. “Let’s take it easy.” Nico didn’t reply, instead lying perfectly still underneath Will’s weight. “No sex.”

“Permanently?”

He laughed. “Nico di Angelo’s making jokes now?” Will looked up at Nico’s face. Nico just rolled his eyes dramatically towards the ceiling. “I might actually be able to live with you having E.D.,” Will laughed. Nico didn’t answer him so when Will finally look again he realized it was because Nico was sound asleep.

Chuckling, Will slowly got off Nico and stood. He forgot that Nico was dead to the world the moment he fell asleep. Memories rushed back to him as he recalled just how quickly Nico could slip into slumber. It was a sort of darkness that overcame Nico, but not the kind that threatened to engulf Nico into nothingness.


	36. the Will Who Gives Comfort

_\- After the War Against Gaea -_

Will Solace was a gifted healer. At least Nico di Angelo thought so as he watched him on the second day he was lying in the clinic bed in the back by the window. Everyone seemed to be looking at him and Nico had a feeling it wasn’t because he was a completely healthy person taking up space in an overcrowded infirmary. The gossip must have gone around by now. Even if he only said it to Annabeth and Percy it was still a public confession.

Gods could there be anyone who shine brighter than Will Solace? Look at him, just bustling around like a bee in the infirmary. The way Will was moving inside the hospice seemed to reflect the way Nico’s stomach fluttered while watching him.

“Ah man…” a voice groaned as the owner sat down heavily on the chair by Nico’s bedside. Sitting next to him with a profusely bandaged forearm was Travis Stoll. The boy grinned at Nico before pointing to a younger boy running around with an apron tied around his waist. “I only came in for a cut.” Nico stared blankly at the wrapped around and then at the boy bringing bandages to Solace.

He blinked, realizing Travis was still talking to him. “So what are you in here for?”

“Sleep.”

Travis stared at Nico as if waiting for a joke to happen. Nico stared back because he wasn’t joking. “Move over,” Travis said, climbing into Nico’s bed. Nico felt a shiver run up his skin. His stomach twisted as Travis budged him over and climbed in.

“Get out,” Nico growled.

“If you get special treatment I’m joining in,” Travis said defiantly.

Nico glanced at the Roman demigods who were hesitantly and reluctantly getting treated in the infirmary. One of them was staring daggers at them, probably from realizing that Nico was actually a Greek demigod. Everyone was still on edge but here he had Travis Stoll nonchalantly trying to settle himself into a single hospice bed with Nico.

“So you want the special treatment?” Nico looked up to see Will standing with his arms crossed over each other at his chest. Will grinned brightly as he pulled up his arms as if he was a doctor who just finished scrubbing his hands. Nico felt another chill run up his back. “Someone bring me the med kit with the skull on it!” Will shouted at whoever was free behind him. Every infirmary demigod paused, stared at each other, and then scrambled to continue working. The kid with the bandages dropped his basket of bandages and rushed away.

“With the skull?” Nico asked.

Will grinned even more just as Travis popped out of the covers next to Nico. “I made it yesterday. It’s a med kit for healing a very particular demigod who likes to use his powers at a dangerous level.” The boy who ran out came rushing back in and set the kid on the seat of the chair next to Nico’s hospice bed. The boy quickly opened the kid, showing a variety of liquids in vials and other unmentionables. Nico had no idea what he was looking at.

“Okay, I’m getting out!” Travis shouted, climbing out of Nico’s hospice bed. “I was just trying to lighten up the mood.” Will gave Travis a sly look as he walked away, and then turned back to Nico.

“Patch,” Will said very seriously as he stared at Nico. Nico wanted to inch away but his pride made him sit still. The bandage boy unpeeled a white adhesive patch and handed it to Will. Will stepped towards Nico, grabbed his arm and them with smacked the patch onto Nico’s forehead. “Be a good patient and stay still,” Will ordered Nico. Nico glared at him as a response.

Will went on to take Nico's temperature, commenting as he looked at the thermometer, “95.6 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s normal for Nico di Angelo.” Shaking the thermometer even though it was an analogue thermometer instead of a digital thermometer, Will turned to the bandage carrier boy from earlier. “Nurse,” Will said very seriously as the boy took the thermometer and replaced it in its place in the medical kit.

“Doctor.”

Nico was close to rolling his eyes very dramatically at the two and then groaning. Instead he glared.

“Oh quit pouting,” Will had sighed heavily. Holding out his hand he next ordered, “Pudding.” Nico didn’t know what to think until the boy standing in front of the medical kit produced two packs of pudding with tiny disposable plastic spoons. “Thank you, you may resume your regular duties.” Will smiled at the boy who gracefully bowed in character before flashing a wide smile and basically twirling away to continue circulating clean bandages.

After opening it Will handed the chocolate pudding pack to Nico. He then slid the closed medical kit under Nico’s hospice bed. Scooting into the bedside chair next to Nico’s bed, Will opened his vanilla pudding packet, crossed his ankle over his knee and leisurely began to eat his pudding. Nico stared at him for quite some time until he recollected himself. He’d been mesmerized by the way Will’s slightly downturned angelic lips enclosed around the spoon.

“You don’t like chocolate?” Will asked. Nico looked down at the pudding cup in his hand and began to eat. He knew refusing would just start another long winded lecture. Will apparently like giving lectures. Sounded like something doctors would do.

The next question Will posed was, “How is it?” Nico stopped licking the spoon in his mouth and pulled it away. He looked at Will while trying to decipher the meaning of that question. “Is it good? Heavenly? The greatest taste in the entire world?” Nico raised a suspicious eyebrow at Will until the guy finally flushed. “Well, it’s just… it’s kinda like a test.” He grinned shyly at Nico before staring into his half-finished pudding cup.

Then Will went on about how he sometimes used pudding or jello as a way to assess the infirmary patients. It was to see the emotional state they were in. The younger campers loved pudding and jello, and if they showed an enthusiastic reaction towards getting the treat it meant they were healing properly and without difficulty. If someone reacted less enthusiastically it meant there was something further that needed to be healed.

Nico closed his eyes as he listened to that soothing voice speak so eagerly and without reserve. Solace loved what he did. He wasn’t just there to heal wounds, broken bones and sick patients. He was there to make sure their emotional state healed along with their physical state. Nico appreciated that, because now more than ever, demigods needed it. Having Will Solace cheerfully handle the situation was best. His smile, his aura, his sincerity to make sure everyone was okay raised morale in times where there was none.

People didn’t often talk about what happened after battles and wars. Recovery wasn’t just physical, it was also mental and emotional. For each person it was different. This war had once again pitted demigods against each other, effectively showing them just how separated the world was and how closed-minded they all were. Being blinded by one’s bias and self-righteous judgement was a fatal flaw.

The healers were probably the closest thing to a saving grace out there. They were the ones that made sure not just the physical injuries but the emotional wounds and mental scars were treated. Nico couldn’t say it but Will Solace was amazing. It was like his entire being resonated to making sure others could pick themselves up again. He couldn’t fathom Solace in the same pitiful state everyone visiting the infirmary was in. He couldn’t see Will Solace refusing to help someone simply because they were of opposition when he was in his healer mode either.

As Will went on and on, Nico closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. He could probably listen to Will Solace’s comforting voice all day, drifting on and off to sleep. He would probably never admit it. He would probably be annoyed by Will’s constant pestering too. Nico would keep it to himself, this memory would be etched into his heart in darkness forever. Nico would protect it, the precious memory of his three days in the infirmary with Will Solace.

* * *

 

A sigh escaped him as Will woke up early on the third day after the war. He was worried about Connor and Travis, the two seemed a bit different than before or during the battle. Travis seemed to be keenly aware of his surroundings and acted on edge like he was afraid of getting caught. Connor was more dejected, exhibiting a broken spirit while often contemplating something. He sure hoped it wasn’t some kind of post traumatic reactions. The brothers had always been the ones most likely to bounce back.

Will washed his face in the quite bathroom sink in the bathhouse. He didn’t have time for a shower, it was before the break of dawn but there were still a lot of patients. He’d hoped that the Apollo descendants from the Roman side would have been helpful but most of them didn’t even know first aid. It felt like the only thing the Romans had against Camp Half-Blood might’ve been their sheer numbers rather than their skills.

He walked into the quiet infirmary and patted the healer on duty to tag them out. Will walked to the end of the room and pulled the curtain around the bed. He was pulling off his shirt when he heard something move on the bed.

“Who…” a voice croaked.

“Oh, Nico,” Will smiled when he managed to pull out his head from his shirt. “Sorry, didn’t think you were awake.” Nico was glaring at him again. The cold breeze suddenly creeping up his spine was the only indication he really needed. “Sorry, sorry,” Will said again with a chuckle. He quickly slipped on his scrubs shirt and tossed his shirt into the bag he came with. “I’ll bring you Connor’s comic book stash later so forgive me.” He smiled at Nico before quickly slipping through the curtains into the infirmary.

Will made a mental note: _Nico hates early wake up calls._ He quickly took his station at the makeshift intake desk—which was really just a square wooden table the Hephaestus cabin donated. Will pulled out his _Big Book of Word Searches_ and stop watch. Before he started his routine Will did a quick survey of the infirmary to make sure none of the patients needed him for anything.

It was morning and his stomach was growling by the time Will finished his tenth word search puzzle. He groaned when he checked his time. Reading was supposed to get easier the older one became, and Will often exercise his letter recognition and reading skills with word searches. Timing himself was a way to check whether he was getting better or not at reading. He went from finishing a word search in seven minutes to finishing it in eleven minutes.

“Thanks,” Will mumbled as one of his younger half-siblings brought in breakfast for him and their patients. He stood up and stretched out the tension in his muscles from hunching over. “Let me help.” Will walked to the cart they were using to transport the food.

“Think any of them are going to be discharged today?” his younger sibling asked quietly as they set the trays in the laps of their waking patients.

Will shrugged but then decided to answer, “Some. Most of them just have leg injuries that they can’t walk on. Not too many of them have critical injuries like stab wounds. The nectar and ambrosia helps.” Will picked up the last tray and patted the boy’s back.

His sibling stopped and turned away. He asked, “What about…” there was a pause but Will knew who he was asking about, “ _him_?” His blue eyes stared at the closed curtain around Nico’s bed.

“What he’s healing from is different,” Will assured the boy. “He’s my special patient, so don’t worry. He’ll be out of the bed and threatening everyone by this evening.” Will laughed as he turned to bring Nico his breakfast.

Of course Nico was awake, using the light from the window to re-read his comic book. Jason had dropped off a novel for Nico to read yesterday, but it looked like Nico hadn’t even cracked it open. The book was still sitting on the table where Jason had left it.

“Food.” Will put the tray in Nico’s lap and sat down on the chair next to the bed. He watched as Nico begrudgingly ate his meal. The first day Nico had slowly ate his breakfast in bed, but at lunch time he’d argued about not being hungry. Will had found it was easier to make Nico eat with the threat of feeding him like a child. So he sat and watched over Nico’s meals.

Will picked up the novel on the table and stared at the cover and title. “What does this say?” Will asked, feeling a wave of confusion jumble up his eyes and his head. He tried focusing on the letters but because of the fancy font he couldn’t quite make out the letters.

“ _The Aeneid_ ,” was the answer. Will knew of the story, it had been told to him but it was not exactly a Greek story so it was only ever taught through storytelling at camp. Will remembered falling asleep after the instructor had gone on for thirty minutes about Aeneas’s dreadful misfortune and the loss of Troy.

“Jason gave you this,” Will absentminded said. He may had come off rude but Will was still trying to decipher the letters on the cover.

“Want me to read it to you?”

“What?”

“Do you want me to read it to you?” Nico sighed his question again. Will stared at Nico, noticing the slightest pink hue on his cheeks. Nico didn’t usually ask others if they wanted him to do something like read to them, but he was trying. Will liked that Nico was trying to be friends.

“I… um…” Will couldn’t think of a proper answer. “It’ll be nice but I…” Will had to stay focus on his job.

“It’s fine.” Nico grabbed the book from Will’s hand and put it back on the table. “It’s written in Latin anyways.” So that was why Will couldn’t read the letters completely. Even though he was hardwire for Greek it was different with Latin. Now he understood what it must have felt like for Jason or Percy to be in a different demigod camp other than their own. They could put the letters together but it was a bit more difficult to register the letters and to read the words.

“You can read Latin?”

“Part Italian,” Nico said as he turned back to the tray laid in his lap. Nico mumbled something but all Will heard was “word search”. When Will blinked a couple times at Nico he sighed out heavily, “Bring your word search,” in a commanding tone.

Will rolled his eye but secretly smiled as he pulled the curtain back and went to retrieve his _Big Book of Word Searches_. Once he sat back down he opened up his book so both he and Nico could see. Nico glanced at the most recent word search puzzle and after putting a piece of pancake into his mouth thumbed through Will’s last puzzles as well. He did this in silence, eating and then looking at the puzzles.

“You’re slow,” Nico said as he moved his breakfast tray to the table and pulled the word search book closer to him. One side of the book laid in Nico’s lap and the other side was held in Will’s hand, both of them sharing the book.

“Slow?”

“Your time.”

“Well…” Will didn’t really know what to say about that. Sorry?

“Doctors have to read a lot,” Nico said. “Pen.” His hand held out towards Will and waited. Will pulled out a pen and highlighter from his pocket. “Let’s race.” Nico took the pen. “Use the highlighter.”

So they spent most of the morning racing against each other. While Will worked on one puzzle on one side of the word search book Nico was racing him with the puzzle on the other side. Even though they kept time of one another it was obvious after the third round that Nico was better at this than Will. They often paused their races when Will had to treat a patient or check on broken bones and injuries, but even so Nico taunted him across the room. Will jeered him right back.

“FINALLY!” Will roared with a piece of his sandwich in his mouth as he finally, FINALLY beat Nico. He coughed and took a swig of his apple juice to down his half swallowed sandwich bite still in his mouth. Nico had clicked his stop watch to record Will’s time but continued unfazed with his last three words.

The bedridden patients cheered for Will, throwing old bandages and tissue paper like confetti and ribbons. He mock an arrogant laugh just as he stopped his stopwatch to record Nico’s time as he finished circling his last word. Will had finished under six minutes and Nico just a little over seven.

“Congrats,” Nico gave him a small smile and a pat on the shoulder. He put his pen down inside the crevice of the book, closed it, and handed it to Will. “Let me know when you’re ready to examine me.” Will was confused why Nico was ending their game when Will finally just beat him. Of course when he turned around he realized why.

It was the afternoon. Lunch time. Two sides of demigods in one camp just a few days after a war. There was bound to be some skirmishes. He wasn’t surprised to see the handiwork of Clarisse La Rue limping into the infirmary to get checked out. He also wasn’t surprised to see the aftermath of one of Connor and Travis’ pranks storming in for some remedy or other. How Connor and Travis managed to make paintballs inside exploding dyes that wouldn’t wash off Will didn’t want to know. He also didn’t want to be on their side when the consequences for such a prank rained down.

He groaned loudly when he collapsed on the vacant seat next to Nico’s bed. Nico had a comic book opened and resting over his face. It looked nothing like his image of Nico di Angelo, the dark and moody kid from yes ago. Will picked up the book and set it neatly down on the table with the rest of the comic books. He took a minute to brace himself and put his hand over Nico’s hand, feeling out the shadows trying to take Nico into their folds.

Letting out a small relieved breath Will pulled his hand away. Nico apparently just needed to recharge, but for some reason he had a feeling if Nico had overstepped his boundaries somewhere that he would have been lost to them. Will was afraid of that the most.

“Am I free to go?” Nico suddenly asked. Will almost jumped out of his seat. He hadn’t expected the guy to be awake. Normally when he fell asleep he was so deep in sleep that even dramatically roaring morons who only had a scratch wouldn’t rouse him.

“Well…” Will was about to say when he heard someone clear their throat. When they both looked they saw Percy standing there. Will moved quickly by standing up out of the chair. “I’ll go get those comic books,” Will smiled encouragingly to Nico before making a lame excuse to Percy and leaving.

As he walked towards the Hermes Cabin, Will thought about what Percy would say to Nico. It was not any of his business, but he didn’t want Percy to put Nico in some emotional strain. So what if Nico liked guys? It didn’t change him or diminish the importance of what he’d done to save the world. Will hoped it wasn’t bad.

When Will came back with Connor’s stash in hand Percy was no longer in the infirmary. Nico sat by himself staring out the window. His half-lidded eyes made it look as though Nico wasn’t really there. The body was but both the spirit and mind was elsewhere, far away, stuck in a place Will’s voice couldn’t reach.

“Nico,” Will called to him softly. No response. He put down the comic books and then pulled the curtain to separate Nico from the curious eyes and gossiping minds. He scooted close to Nico’s side and put his hand over Nico’s, sensing right away that a part of Nico was truly somewhere else. “Di Angelo, hey…” He shook Nico lightly. “Hey, I kept my promise.” He waited for what seemed like a very long time before Nico blinked and turned away from the window.

He saw that Nico took notice of the comic books on the table, but he wasn’t registering it completely. Nico stared at him like an empty doll and then his gaze turned down. Will felt it in the hand he was holding. Nico was slipping into darkness.

“Hey, I’m here!” Will said in a soft voice so others would not happen to hear them. He tightened his hold on Nico’s hand and yanked at Nico so he would face Will again. Nico stared into Will’s eyes this time as if he was searching for something there. “Are you okay?” he asked. “Did Percy say something? Do something?”

Nico blinked, suddenly coming back. The darkness subsided again. “No, Percy just came to tell me it’s cool.” Nico di Angelo slowly inched his hand from Will’s. “I was just thinking about something that happened before I came back with Reyna.”

“Reyna…” Will whispered. “The leader for the Romans.” She looked pretty alpha-like. She also looked like was scheming something, because she’s been hanging around the Oracle.

“Yeah, it’s nothing. Don’t worry.”

“Of course I’m gonna worry,” Will snapped at Nico. Nico didn’t react in a good way. He glanced away instead. Will grabbed Nico’s face forcibly and made him look. “Dude, we’re friends. Even if we weren’t friends we’re comrades at least. I’m a healer. I don’t decide my patients, I do my best to make sure they are at their best. Just like you. I don’t care if you’re Hades’ son or a Roman spy. I will always…” Will took a deep breath to emphasize the word one more time, “ALWAYS do my best not to hurt you, and to take your pain away.”

The only thing Nico did was nod solemnly and glance away.

Will shook his head and made him look at him again. “The most dishonorable thing a healer can ever do is make those relying and expecting the best of them suffer. Healers don’t have the luxury to judge others unless it’s dangerous and would threaten their life. You will always have a place to come back to when you need help wherever I am. Doctor’s honor!” Will felt his face flushed, realizing how much he said and exactly what he said.

Nico, uncharacteristically, nodded meekly.

“Good!” Feeling embarrassed Will stomped out of the curtained bed area towards his station. Gods did he really just boast that he could basically heal Nico di Angelo like the guy was some incurable plague-carrier? Someone bury him now.

 

_\- Present day: Nico di Angelo’s house in Saint Paul, Summer -_

Will smiled at the memory. He was secretly massaging the sleeping Nico di Angelo, still dead to the world. Sure there was a world of problems they were going to face. Will had a feeling that there was some misunderstanding and some misgivings when he and Nico first parted. Things happened between then and when they met again, things Will haven’t told Nico di Angelo—things he knew he would eventually have to reveal.

He worked on the knots he felt massaging Nico’s back, then worked on the guy’s legs. He had a feeling if he did this while Nico was awake it would turn into a very sensual play and neither of them would really get to where Will had really intended with the massage.

“Wherever I am…” Will whispered, resonating with the childish, self-righteous, all-important words he spoke as a teenage boy. Wherever he, Will Soalce, was would be where Nico di Angelo could return to for safety and comfort. By his will and honor as a healer.


	37. A Choice to Seal the Deal

After waking up Nico felt all his muscles cry out. He felt sore all over as he tried to sit up. He saw the unopened water bottle on the coffee table and picked it up to drink. When he finished drinking the entire contents of the bottle he looked around to find Will. Moving even an inch of muscle was a cry of pain.

The front door opened, keys jangling, and paper bags ruffled. “Yes… okay. I will…” Will was struggling to say into his cellphone balanced between his ear and his shoulder, while juggling two bags of groceries, and closing the front door.

Nico stood up and took the bags from him, walking away into the kitchen. The pain wasn’t as bad as he thought as he walked to the kitchen. Of course then he seated himself on one of the stools and felt the soreness spread through his back muscles again.

Will came in, winking at him, still talking on the phone in a calming voice. “Yes, I will be there. Her graduation party, right?” Will opened up Nico’s empty refrigerator and began putting the groceries away.

Was that how Will’s been feeding Nico? He just went out and bought groceries? Nico wouldn’t put it past Will to go out of his way, but at the same time there were some questionable things like where Will got the plates and utensils. Nico didn’t really waste much of his effort in getting pots and pans or anything either. Ramen cups and candy seemed fine. If not he was usually eating take out at work or having business meals, so it really was worthless to get anything for his kitchen.

“Okay, bye-bye.” Will hung up and slipped his phone into the back pocket of his jeans. “How you doing sleepy head?” Will smiled at Nico. Nico stared at him blankly. He didn’t really have an answer considering he just woke up and he was sore all around. “Feeling sore yet? I gave you a deep massage while you were sleeping. Here,” Will pulled out a water bottle from the refrigerator. “Hydrate.”

As Nico quietly drank his water bottle he observed Will. The man was completely used to this. He was putting food in the refrigerator like he has done it dozens of times before. If Nico thought about it Will pretty much knew where everything went in his house.

“I’ve always wondered how you pulled out edible meals with an empty refrigerator,” Nico finally said. He continued to drink his cool water.

“Huh?” Will turned around after closing the fridge. He smiled widely. “Don’t you share this place with Hazel?”

“Yeah, so?” Nico looked away. It wasn’t like Hazel came around often or at all. Most of their living arrangements were shared because Nico figured it was more convenient.

“She comes around sometimes, you know,” Will pointed out. “For some reason you two always miss each other. But she uses that room with all the flowery stuff, right? The first time I was in your apartment, you know way back when I accidentally shadow-traveled with you, I was freaking out because I couldn’t find anything in your place. But then I luckily found a bag of rice and some pots and pans in the cupboards under the sink.”

Nico had a vague memory that there might have been some pots and pans there but he wasn’t sure. Nico didn’t use that apartment anymore. Bad memories.

“She came here too, one time for the jewelry business thing didn’t she? Something about doing it because you were elsewhere doing a funeral. I happened to be here.”

Nico stopped him there. “You ‘happened to be here’? How did you get into my house in the first place?” Nico didn’t really want to know but he had to know. Will flashed him a smile. Actually, didn’t Will just walk into his house not ten minutes ago jiggling keys? “Don’t tell me you made a copy of my house keys…”

“I didn’t make a copy of your house keys,” Will held up his hand and promised. Nico felt his patience wearing thin. “I took your spare keys.”

Nico had spare keys? Ah, the ones he left hanging on the hanger in the kitchen. Nico turned to look at the hanger, and sure enough the keys were gone. Those were left there for Frank Zhang in case he came along with Hazel. It was not meant for Will.

“A police officer taking someone’s house keys without permission, huh?” Nico really wanted to kill him. Instead he finished his water bottle and closed the cap. “Why are you keeping my spare keys?”

Will smiled at him innocently. “To make sure there’s food in your fridge.”

* * *

 

Gods did he really just give Nico di Angelo that lame excuse? Okay, sure he did make sure Nico’s fridge have food now and then but it was just an excuse. Will felt his cold sweat dripping behind his neck. He really didn’t want to tell Nico that although he gave Nico a copy of his house key that Nico hasn’t so much as even shown that he wanted Will in his life in anyway. It was embarrassing being questioned by Michael sometimes about things that should be natural in a relationship.

Will held his breath as Nico glared at him. It wasn’t a lie but it wasn’t exactly the entire truth either. He knew he shouldn’t have taken the key but asking for the key was also embarrassing especially since in the beginning their relationship was so unsure. Not to mention the reason they were in a relationship to begin with was because of Will's selfishness and pushiness.

“Return it,” Nico said calmly. He got off the stool on the other side of the counter. “Those are Frank’s keys. You shouldn’t take them.” Nico walked out of the kitchen after saying so. Will let out his breath once Nico was gone.

So he just had to return the keys. It was disheartening but at the same time Will was glad Nico didn’t do something like break up with him again. Will wouldn’t be able to recover from that.

After returning the keys to the hanger he left the kitchen for the living room. Nico was just walking out of his bedroom while pulling on his aviator jacket.

“I’m going for a walk,” Nico said. He headed for the door. Will stood silently. He wasn’t sure he knew what to do. He should also tell Nico what he was up to but he couldn’t bring it up. “Coming?” Nico asked at the door. Will must have looked at him strange because Nico chuckled at him like he was a child who’d just been tricked.

Opening the door and holding his hand out Nico then said, “I promised we’ll go on dates and hold hands.” Will laughed then beamed a smile at Nico. He walked over and took Nico’s hand as they walked out of the house.

Nico locked the door and took his hand again. “Ready?”

“It’s just a walk,” Will laughed as Nico took his hand again and their fingers intertwined. A part of him felt like blushing when he realized Nico naturally went for the lover’s handhold.

“Yea, just a walk,” Nico smiled. “To Manhattan.” Will was about to ask Nico what he meant with that sly smile when he followed Nico and jumped off the step. The next thing Will knew he could hardly breathe as darkness engulfed him.

He couldn’t see anything. He didn’t know where he was. Will looked around but he couldn’t tell left from right. First it felt like he was standing in solid space and then it was as if he was floating in zero-gravity. Will panicked until he felt a tug at his hand. Right, he was holding onto Nico’s hand.

Will closed his eyes and focused on the slight heat at his palms and the faint squeezing of his fingers. Nico tugged his hand and Will followed. When he saw the light again he was standing at the top of a building in a big city. When he looked around Will recognized the view.

“Manhattan?” Will shouted. He turned around and around until Nico tugged him back. “Oomph!” Will twisted around and bumped into Nico. Nico righted them right away. “Sorry.”

“Shadow-travel.”

“I could tell.”

“Ah, Nico!” a voice shouted from somewhere. Will turned to look just as Frank’s head popped up from the side of the building. He climbed over the ledge onto the roof. “Hey, Percy and Jason’s been looking for you.” He quickly approached Nico. “Oh, Will.” Frank looked mildly confused but then he must have noticed that Will and Nico were holding hands because he smiled and turned towards the roof exit. “Anyways, it sounded important so come back down.”

“You should go,” Will said as he got ready to let go of Nico’s hand. “I’ll wait here.”

“It’s cold up here. Let’s go inside.” Nico didn’t take no for an answer and forced Will into the apartment through the fire escape into Percy’s bedroom. He wasn't going to point out that it was summer and the chilly breeze was welcoming. 

Quietly and somewhat nervously Will followed Nico into the living room where the others waited. The last time Will saw them he’d been threatened with drowning and something of a 10,000 foot drop. Everyone had a strange mixture of expressions when they saw that he’d accompanied Nico this time. Confusion, surprise, suspicion, excitement, the list could go on but the expressions that Will was focused on where Percy and Jason’s. They both looked at him like he was the ugliest chew-toy they ever saw.

“So, what’s this important thing?” Nico asked unfazed.

Percy’s facial expression changed to his usual slightly confused but confident one. “Nico, you’ll do it right?”

With that question Will suddenly became oversensitive. Something was happening and Will’s brain was alerting him. Something important.

“Do what?”

Nervously as he scratched the back of his head Percy mumbled, “Well you know…” The man’s eyes glanced back at the rest of the group sitting or standing around.

Thalia, who looked a little different and yet the same, finally kicked the back of Percy’s knee with her combat booted foot. “Hurry up and spit it out properly Jackson,” she demanded.

Sending her an angry and annoyed glare Percy turned back to Nico. “Well, you know…” he pointed at his left hand. Will felt himself warming up. Percy was pointing to his left ring finger. Then he tried to discreetly point to Annabeth sitting at the opposite end of the living room glaring at Percy. “So, you’ll do it?”

“Ask him properly, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth groaned as she rolled her eyes. Wait, it couldn’t be… Will turned and saw the ring on her finger. It was.

“Be my best man?” Percy asked with a grin.

Then everything suddenly stopped being relevant. Percy was getting married. Percy’s wedding. His dream came back to him. The wedding at Camp Half-Blood that had Nico fluttering about, nervous and worried. Nico was going to say yes and watch his first crush get married while supporting him on the side.

“So…” Percy urged.

Nico didn't say anything. He stared at Percy as though he was staring at the television. Will felt overly sensitive. Images from the back of his mind kept replaying. A dream that was a premonition. Will's heart was fluttering, his lungs slowly stopped working, and he was pretty sure his mind was falling apart.

"I will," Nico said, and Will a knife being pressed against his heart. Nico's cool hand took his and squeezed tightly as their fingers intertwined. "If I can bring Will as my partner."

What?

"What?" Percy glared at Will. He thought for a second. "I'll have to think about that."

"What's there to think about?" Nico asked. "You either want us there or you don't." The look in his eyes still hasn’t changed from an intense concentration as though he was watching TV. Why was he making such a big deal out of whether or not Will was invited or allowed to go to the wedding anyways?

“Wait, wait,” Percy said as he drew Nico towards him as far as their interlocked hands would stretch. Percy whispered something into Nico’s ear that got him clicking his tongue and glaring at Percy before he blushed. “Then…” Percy whispered the rest into Nico’s ear before moving away again. “That’s my decision then.”

“Percy…” Nico grounded his teeth.

“It’s a fair deal, Nico.”

Will felt like running away. Nico looked angry and when Will squeezed his hand Nico let go and pulled his hand away. Will recently learned that when Nico was embarrassed or feeling shy he kept to himself. Whatever Percy just said had Nico wanting to blush like a little schoolgirl. Was Nico still in love with Percy? Was he going to force himself to stand there and watch Percy marry Annabeth? How did Nico really feel?

He felt something buzz in his ear. Will blinked and looked around. A passing whisper but no one was there, everyone was still crowding the living room area. Nico then turned and stomped away, his head down and looking like he was going to kill someone.

“What did you do?” Jason asked Percy suspiciously. Then Jason gave Will a cold glance. That was a threat, not disregard. Will knew how badly he hurt Nico—how he always hurt Nico. Still, it wasn’t like it was any of _their_ business.

“I gave him a deal,” Percy sighed with a shrug. “So it’s up to Nico whether or not it happens. He’s going to have to seal the deal himself.”

Will didn’t want to hear the rest of their bickering. It was amusing but he was more concerned for Nico. What if he started repeating that stuff in Italian again? What did it mean? _“Don’t cry”_ or something, that’s what Connor had said. Nico probably didn’t even realize he had those kind of tells. Like how he taps his finger steadily when he was growing impatient, and like how he bit his lower lip when he was frustrated or concentrating on something difficult. Will wonder who else had found those things endearing, those little habits and tells that Nico had. Did anyone even bother noticing them?

As he stepped in Percy’s room, vaguely recalling how it was the last time he’d been here, Will found Nico staring at the flowers. Percy told him about those flowers a long time ago but for some reason Will couldn’t recall them. It was the way Nico was staring at them, as though he was desperate for something. Percy, maybe?

Quietly he approached. “Hey,” Will called out uncertainly. “So, want to talk?”

“Not really,” Nico puffed out.

Will’s wavering confidence was quickly struck down. It hurt knowing that Nico didn’t want him around. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to act? What did Nico want him to do?

“Hey, man,” Will tried for fake bravado. “It can’t be that bad, the deal. Come on, what is it?”

“It’s embarrassing,” Nico grumbled as he still refused to turn around and look at Will completely. From the angle that Nico stood, leaning one shoulder on the windowsill Will could see the side of Nico’s face. It was still his desperate expression. Nico had that look often when Will used to yell at him for overtaxing his powers and collapsing. Nico was grasping at straws in his head.

“Can’t be that bad, right? What did Percy want you to do?”

Nico sighed. “Just leave me alone.”

“And what do you want me to do?” Will asked him finally. Nico looked up at him with confusion and then dawning realization. “Yeah, you brought me here. I can probably get myself back home somehow but just so you know I’m actually trying here. I want to be with you, okay? Even if my feelings might not be…” Will felt his confidence waver again and paused. He forced the words out. “My feelings might not be as deep or passionate as yours, but I’m trying. I know that I don’t really know how it feels to feel the way you do for me, but the way I feel for you isn’t half-assed or anything either. You can at least not make me feel bad about it.”

Nico turned back to looking at the flowers, looking angry again. “Sorry,” Nico mumbled. Will felt like Nico was whispering something but Nico’s mouth wasn’t moving. “It’s just… embarrassing.” Will wasn’t paying attention to what Nico was saying right that second because his words were being overlapped by this whisper he kept hearing buzz in his ear.

Will turned around to try and find what was causing it. He touched his ears wondering if someone had put in earbuds in his ears. Nothing. Nothing was causing the voices. Percy wouldn’t have rigged his family’s apartment just to mess with Will either.

“Will?” Nico’s hand touched his shoulder as he was turning around. Their faces stopped inches of each other. “You okay?” Nico asked, backing away and looking bashful for the first time in what felt like forever. Nico usually held up a brave face. It was weird to see him looking shy and timid.

“Sorry, I just…” Will looked around one more time.

“I…” Nico started to say. He heard the whisper just as the same time and quickly pressed his hand over Nico’s lips. He was staring into Nico’s dark eyes when he came to realization.

_“I love you.”_

Nico stared at him slightly confused.

_“I love you.”_

Will finally realized why he thought he was hearing whispers. He wanted Nico to say those words to him again—always—everyday actually. Now. This was the place where Nico and he first kissed, that tender touch of their lips that held all the feelings Nico felt for him.

Nervously but with all the confidence he could muster Will spoke up. “I love you.”

“What?”

Nico stared at him confused but mostly taken aback. “I love you,” he said once more. “I know I do, Nico. I just… I love you it just won’t measure up to you. If you reject me I would probably not be able to do what you did.”

“Again.”

Will gazed at Nico and then knew what he wanted. Nico stepped even closer to him. “I love you,” he whispered once more for Nico.

Smiling Nico stepped in one more time and kissed Will. A soft kiss on the lips. Not the punishing or ravishing kind of kiss Nico usually gave. A kiss that was elated and sad. Will could feel what Nico felt through his kiss. He was happy—so happy Nico would cry if they didn’t have people outside the room prone to getting into their business.

“Go to the wedding with me,” Nico whispered when he pulled away from Will.

“Huh?” Will was a little dazed still. “Wedding?” He’d forgotten until Nico laughed and asked him again to go to Percy’s wedding with him. “Yes, sure, whatever.” Will was more interested in kissing Nico and he did just as Nico chuckled.

“Please don’t have sex in my room,” Percy’s voice uttered as the door creaked and opened. “So? Did you seal it with a kiss?” Percy grinned cheekily.

Will felt the urge to punch Percy in the face but decided not to try his luck.

“He said yes.”

“Oh good, because I do need a best man and I can’t let Jason do it because he’s too irritating,” Percy said as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder just as Jason walked in. “Plus, I heard you dealt in wedding rings.”

Nico rolled his eyes. Will almost laugh, Nico almost never rolled his eyes. Only Percy Jackson would have that affect on Nico di Angelo, son of Hades who took no shit from anyone.

“What is this deal again?” Will asked Nico.

Nico turned red. Percy decided to answer, “He didn’t even ask you to the wedding but he wanted you to come, right? So I told him you can come and he can be best man IF he asked you and you said yes.” Nico sighed and ran his hand over his face. Percy went on to say, “So in essence it was your choice or not if him being best man happened.” Percy smacked Nico in the back with a grin. “This guy is so used to being bossy he forgot he needed to ask you.”

“Isn’t it natural to think your boyfriend would go with you though?” Will asked back. Percy was short a second of laughing when Will said it too. So it was _his_ choice that made his dream come true? Nico was going to be Percy’s best man. Will didn’t even know what to feel about his dream anymore besides impeding fear, and Percy just made him choose what could mean the end of his relationship. “Plus he said it while I was there and he was asking you if he could bring me because I’m pretty sure you told him what you guys did last time at Michael’s.”

“Uh…” Percy and Jason looked at each other with nervousness in their eyes. Oh, they hadn’t. Will suddenly felt like he just told Nico something he wasn’t supposed to.

“What happened at Michael’s?”

“Nothing,” Percy grinned. “Nothing at all, bro.”

“Jason?” Nico looked to the more discipline of the two. Will felt embarrass himself now. For some reason why did if feel like he’d just told his boyfriend to beat up the bullies?

“I just gave him a lift,” Jason shrugged innocently. Will almost felt like laughing but he schooled himself right away. Nico looked like he was going to wring some necks.

“Is that so,” Nico said disinterested. He reached into his own pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He started to look through his phone contacts. Will had a feeling he was going to call Michael.

“Ah, stop!” Percy shouted as he grabbed for Nico’s phone. “Nothing happened. Look, he’s standing right there. We didn’t do anything.”

“You interfered.”

“He made you cry!” Jason snapped. “I can’t forgive that,” Jason looked away angrily.

“I wasn’t crying.”

“You cried later,” Percy said. “We know you did, because you don’t show any of us but we can tell. And besides he was being a douche anyways!” Percy smacked Will on the shoulder but Will let it go. It wasn’t like he could deny that.

“Mind your own business!” Nico snapped back at them just as he shuffled Will behind him. For some reason that felt like a protective gesture and it really irked him. “Unless you had the intention of having sex with a man it was neither of your businesses who makes me cry, or who I like, or what I did with them!” Nico stepped forward and the room burst with shadows under him and a coldness that could have frozen someone’s bones. “We’re going.” With that announcement Nico took Will’s hand and led him towards the corner of the room with the most shadow.

“Wait!” Jason and Percy shouted.

Nico turned to him with an angry look. “Goodbye.” Then he stepped into the shadow and disappeared into it, pulling Will in too.


	38. True and Real

“Well there goes our first date!” Nico hollered in laughter as he ran ahead of Will. Will would have rolled his eyes if they were in a different situation. This was not a memory he wanted to recount to ANYONE in fifty years about the stupidity of his youth. Hades tell him this was NOT his first actual date with Nico di Angelo, son of said Hades, King of Ghosts, man of wonders, supposed illustrious multimillionaire heir of not just a jewelry chain but funeral services. The man had the gull to chuckle when mere moments ago he’d been pissed off at Percy and Jason.

Figuring it was smarter than trying to kill Nico, he concentrated on catching up to Nico or outrunning the damned son of Hades. Somewhere in his head Will was glad to see Nico enjoying himself after seeming so angry five minutes ago. Most of him really just wanted to wring Nico’s neck. This was not funny.

They were running for life here and Nico had the audacity to smile and laugh. Will didn’t have any weapons on him, but of course Nico had his Stygian sword. Gods could Will have fallen in love with a more outrageous guy? Nico was usually very moody but when he was in a good mood it was while they were being chased down by a horde of monsters in the heat of Saint Paul downtown.

“So, exactly what are we supposed to do?” Will shouted at Nico as they ran down Kellogg Boulevard. To everyone else it probably looked like a bunch of band members racing to their next gig, and Will and Nico just happened to be leading the bunch. It also wasn’t strange for people to jump into the street and cross during a red light to try and catch a city bus. Will hoped that’s what it looked like. He honestly did not have an explanation for a _dracanae_ crashing and rolling over the hood of a car when it skidded to a stop for their procession.

The _dracanae_ pushed itself back up and the she-serpent slithered towards them hissing curses. Will was never going to Starbucks again. Their logo looked too much like that dracanae coming at them like it wanted to bite their heads off.

“So we accidentally stepped into downtown,” Nico shrugged. Will could totally see the sly smile on the little shit’s face. He wasn’t even trying to hide it. Was this some kind of sadistic tendency to watch Will nearly die or something? If someone asked he would bet his right leg that Nico might not have intended to shadow travel into downtown but he had been looking for some thrill. Hazel had said that both magic and shadow-travel was not an exact art but a lot of it had to do with what someone wanted.

“I am _NOT_ in favor of being torn or chewed up when I just told a guy that I’m in love with him,” Will snapped. He leapt over a car’s hood just as it skidded to a stop at a red light. They rushed across a few more blocks and zigzagged through a few streets until they were two blocks away from the Central light rail train station in downtown.

He and Nico stopped to catch their breath but Will glanced back at the horde coming at them. One of the _empousa_ was rammed by a car in the street but got back up and just kept coming, limping behind the rest of the horde. Gods, they were going to die weren’t they? They were dead. So dead.

With a devious smile on his face Nico challenged him. “Who was the one that claimed he would never get caught in the midst of a war?” Will’s face heated up. He recalled boasting to Nico about that during the war against Gaea and the Romans. “Listen, it’s almost here…”

Will couldn’t hear a single thing over the cars and horde of monsters behind them, or his rushing blood. Nico shouted for them to go and Will burst into a sprint after Nico. They leapt over cars and past people who just walked too slowly for anyone’s comfort. Nearly tripping himself, Will almost bumped into a traffic officer before correcting his footing. Gods, was he really going to do this at this age?

“It’s here, hurry!” Nico turned and grabbed his hand just as the train came into the Central station. Will felt a burst of hope bloom inside him at the sight of the train. They just needed to cross the street in the next twenty seconds. As they started running under the skyway he realized that the train didn’t wait for passengers and the next train came in ten minutes. They would be torn up and eaten if they didn’t catch this one in ten seconds. Just as realization had taken hold of him, darkness engulfed his sight again and he knew what Nico had done.

“I’m going to kill both of you,” Michael grumbled low in his chest. Kahale was looming over both of them on the train that was now departing. He put down the jacket he had held over the light to create a shadow in the train and tossed it over the seat that Will and Nico were now sitting in. “What were you two doing?” he asked with his anger overflowing almost.

“Uh…” Will looked at Nico who quickly looked away. So it was up to him to explain. “We got chased down by monsters.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Michael glowered and Will bashfully looked away. After hearing from Travis all those times about Michael’s strict lectures when he was pushed to the limit, Will did not want to have to sit through it. Especially since Will was Michael’s partner and did not want to have to sit hours on end next to the man lecturing him. “What did you two think you were doing?” Michael groaned out. His attitude told Will that he had noticed them running for life and had created a shadow in the train knowing full well Nico would shadow travel them onto the train. Will cleared his throat and realized that in this situation he should not meekly be glowered down.

So he beamed up at Michael, “Not getting caught by monsters.”

Michael blinked at him a few times before sighing heavily and rubbing the muscle between his eyes. “What am I going to do with you two?” he mumbled mostly to himself as he stood in the aisle. Michael was off duty so he was in his casual clothing but Will was wondering why no one was taking note of him. Michael normally drew in a crowd. It wasn’t so weird when he was wearing his uniform because it was obvious that the uniform was supposed to stand out. However he usually stood out in normal clothes too. Today he didn’t seem to be noticed at all.

“Well officer, you could not cite us,” Will suggested with a cheeky smile. Michael’s eyes scrunched from a glower into a glare. He stared at Will in a dark and heated way as though assessing something.

Finally Michael spoke. “Must I also handle you as well?” For a moment Will was confused and then noted the expression on Michael’s face. It was the face he had when he handled Travis and Connor. The face that shouted he was three inches from smacking someone into coma if it was allowed.

Deciding to mess with Michael despite seeing the warning sign, Will smiled widely. “Yeah, well quests are done in threes.” The quest of course was to see how long it took with their mischievousness before Michael’s stoicism broke. Will winked and then spared a smile to Nico who was trying to ignore them by staring out the window. Nico nudged his knee against Will’s instead of look back in response.

“Almost getting killed by a mass of monsters is definitely something I can imagine the three of you doing,” Michael conceded with a sigh in the end. Then he turned his gaze on Nico. “Di Angelo on the other hand should know better.” Nico’s dark gaze turned to Michael and then back out the window as if he hadn’t heard anything at all. “Not leading you,” finished Michael.

“What can I say, he likes to almost get me killed,” Will grinned and shrugged with a nonchalance he did not actually feel. That had not be exhilarating in the least. A bit of wild and danger was good, but definitely not always welcomed.

Michael looked away instead of respond. It took a moment to keep staring to realize that was Michael’s way of rolling his eyes at people. He turned away and ignored them for a spell.

A couple minutes later Michael asked them, “Are you two going to Camp Half-Blood?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“And what?” Will asked.

Michaels sighed and looked away again. Then he bent himself down low enough so he was face to face with Will. “William, I am asking if you two are planning to go together.”

“Well…” Will pointed at Nico. Nico had originally planned to stay with the other children of the Big Three. He wasn’t sure what Nico was planning now after having left Percy’s place angrily earlier.

“Yes,” Nico answered abruptly and tersely. “But for now we’re going home.” Nico grabbed Will’s hand and intertwined their fingers.

“Home would be the other way for you,” Michael reminded them with a smile and a shake of his head.

“Your home,” Nico clarified. “I would like to see Travis.” Michael clicked his tongue and looked away irritated. Will looked between Michael and Nico. Not that the two of them looked particularly friendly or antagonistic, but they did seem relatively distant. If he had to guess, it would be that there was something unspoken between them that needed to be said. He also knew that it was because he happened to be there so neither of them was speaking.

They got off at the Capitol and crossed the street to the Sears parking lot. Nico and Will followed Michael to his big SUV.

“Get in,” Michael ordered as he unlocked the car. Will looked at Nico who stared back at him. His eyes traced down Nico’s arm to the hand that held his.

“I’ll sit in the back,” Nico told him without his asking. Will felt a twinge in his core as Nico let go of their hands and got into the backseat of the SUV. Will reluctantly sat in the front passenger seat with Michael.

“So what’s up with you two?” Michael asked as he started driving them.

“None of your business,” Nico answered just as Will was about to say something.

Michael glanced at Will with a smile that said it all. _“I told you he was sassy.”_ Not that he hadn’t known that Nico was sass, but in a previous conversation with Michael he’d denied it. It was eerie how accurate some of Michael’s predictions were. He’d once told Will that if he let himself stay unchanged in his relationship with Nico without making a decision it would hurt him more. It had. Michael had also told him that eventually he would come to realize what true love was, and he had. True love was Nico di Angelo.

It was the way Nico brusquely erupted into laughs or smiles. It was the way Nico’s dark eyes turned warm like a dark sunset on an easy summer’s night whenever the man was content with what he had. True love was how Nico’s eyes could turn into burning coals when he lusted after Will—and had Will tried and tried to tempt the man. Will felt the very pit of his abdomen clench and a strange feeling spread through him as he sat in thought.

“Will,” Michael shook him out of his thoughts. Will blinked a few times and looked around. They were on Grand Avenue, which was in all accounts close to Michael’s house but not his home. “Travis is waiting for me at a shop around here. Come on.” He nodded for Will to get out of the car before stepping out from the driver’s side himself.

Will followed Michael into _Café Latte_ with Nico right at his heels. Michael nodded to Travis arched a brow at them as they walked to his table by the window. Travis looked between Michael and then Will but then his gaze fell on Nico standing behind both of them.

They all sat down without having exchanged any words, not even greetings. Finally Travis cleared his throat, gave Michael a not-too-discreet nod of the head and pointed eye gaze towards the food line. Michael stood up without a response and went to get the food.

“Will,” Nico then spoke up too. Will could already guess what Nico really wanted. “Food.” Will almost sighed. At least he got words whereas Michael just got very pointed and aggressive stares. He stood up and went to line up behind Michael who was staring at the menus and what was available to eat.

“What are those two talking about?” Will asked Michael as he stood next to the pondering man. Michael didn’t answer. “Come on man, I know you know.”

“Shut up,” Michael said back at him. He bent forward a little to stare at bread and Will rolled his eyes skywards. What was so important about staring at bread? Michael stood up and proceeded to talk to the man behind the counter for his order.

Sighing Will resigned himself for now on being the gofer boy. He finished his own set of order for Nico and himself. When it was rung up he carried the tray of food back to the table where Nico and Travis had been in heated decision. The moment he and Michael came into Nico’s view the dark-haired menace stopped talking and stared at him. In turn Travis turned around to see Michael and brightly smiled.

Once they were settled with their food Travis went on to talking about nonsense. Will let himself go with the flow. Today had been exhausting and nothing had been answered. None of his earlier questions anyways. At the least most important one had been.

“So you two have confirmed each other’s feelings,” Michael commented in the silence. Travis choked on his soup and turned away to cough. Only a Stoll could manage to choke on soup.

“Sensitive, much?” Travis whispered loudly to Michael with sharp sarcasm. Michael flicked Travis in the forehead without looking away from his own soup. “Ow… Mike you meanie,” Travis complained, puffing his cheeks as he rubbed his forehead where he’d been flicked. Will wanted to toss over the table and run home and shower. He wanted to scrub off the creepy lovey-dovey scene Travis had just burned his eyes with.

“You’re not a child Travis,” Michael responded coldly. He took a bite out of his sandwich. He stared up at Nico and Will staring at the two. Will definitely had his mouth gaped open but Travis glared at them like they were rudely staring. In a way they probably had been rudely watching the exchange.

“So what, you’re never nice anyways,” Travis grumbled as he turned back to his soup. “And you’re definitely way too blunt.”

“You like blunt.”

“No I don’t.”

Michael glanced at Travis. Will could see the hint of Travis’ long denials of everything Michael pointed out. It was like a game really.

Leaning over Michael said, “You also like…” and lowered his voice to finish the sentence by whispering into Travis’ ear. Will watched his dear friend’s face fall, pale, and then go entirely red.

Pursing his lips Travis put down his utensil and smacked Michael in the face before getting up. Without another word he leaned down, grabbed Michael’s face, kissed the man and stormed off. Will sat there pretty stunned by the sight. A lot of people tried to mind their own business but everyone definitely had noted that kiss. Michael smiled before turning back to his soup.

“You’re not going to go after him?” Will asked as he turned to watch Travis leave the café and walk down the street.

“He’ll be back.”

“How do you know?” Will asked. He had been on the other end of Travis grumbling he should had never gotten into a relationship with Michael. At some point if they kept pushing this stupid game of irritation one of them was likely to have gone too far, right? RIGHT?

“You’re not going to say it’s because he always comes back, are you?” Nico asked, sounding disinterested and detached from the situation. Will on the other hand now had more questions than when he first sat down at their table.

“No,” Michael said just as Travis walked past the window and glared at their table. He then rushed back into the café. “He forgot his wallet.” Michael pointed to the wallet on the table as Travis growled and grabbed it off the table. “Don’t stay out late, mate,” Michael said in an unmoved tone as Travis started to leave.

Just before getting out of earshot without even turning around Travis snapped back, “Yes dear lord husband!” Then he left the café for the second time. As he passed the window he stuck his tongue out at and walked off.

“I don’t even know…” Will sighed out. It really was too much. Even being a police officer wasn’t this stressful.

“Don’t worry,” Michael said as he put his spoon down on top of his napkin. His gaze turned on Will and then Nico. “Our relationship is nothing like yours. And it’s solid.”

“What are you trying to say now?” Will sighed out. He was tired. Just let him go home. Gods. This situation was beginning to be a headache. Will was about to lose his strength to resist his outrage.

Michael smiled and then finally said, “I don’t hesitate to claim what I want.” He finished his sandwich with a bite. The man look at Nico as he chewed his food. Nico, looking disinterested was staring at his sandwich. “Besides, I’m usually not the one making my partner cry.” Nico looked angry for a minute and then his anger turned into a very serious look. After a moment of watching the two stare at each other Will finally put the situation together. Travis was almost never called Michael’s “partner” even though he was Michael’s partner.

Michael stood up. “You get what I mean, don’t you di Angelo?” Michael began to pick up his and Travis’ mess. Will definitely understood what Michael had meant. He wasn’t talking about Travis and him. He was talking about Will and Nico—because Will _was_ his partner.

“Like I said, it’s none of your business.”

“Just a question,” Michael said before he left. “Besides your words or your body, have you given him anything of real value?” Michael smiled when Nico finally looked him in the eye with a glare. Will sat very still, afraid to actually get into this fight. He also felt embarrassed.

Michael knew what was bothering Will. He knew, and he went and told Nico. Now Nico felt like his manhood or something was insulted, and now when he figured it out he would do anything in his power just to prove Michael wrong. Will didn’t want that. He wanted Nico to be able to choose his path.

Dammit Will just wanted to go hide in bed and be left alone.


	39. Healing Him

Nico sighed heavily in the bathroom and fought the urge to break down and punch the mirror in front of the sink. Michael Kahale took too many liberties. He crossed a line, and Nico definitely knew he did. The only thing that kept Nico from trying to kill Michael was the fact that not only was the man a friend (he could actually call Michael that at this point) but it had needed saying. Nico had known when he realized Will had been using Frank’s keys that it needed to be done. Nico loved Will so much he was afraid to lose him and he was going to lose him because he kept dragging his feet.

Nico sighed one more time as he ran his wet fingers through his hair. He walked out of the bathroom and crossed the hallway into his bedroom. Will was lying on top of the sheets fully clothed with his face buried into a pillow.

Nico sat on the side of the bed where he usually slept. He took off his jacket and his shoes before lying down next to Will. He stared at the ceiling for a moment and then gave up waiting immediately.

Twisting onto his side to face Will he put a hand on the man’s head. “You crying?” Nico asked. He was half joking when he asked, but when it came out he was genuinely worried it might actually be true. A muffled and outrage ‘no’ was his reply. Bracing for what had to come Nico finally said, “We need to talk.”

For what felt like an hour Will sat motionless and quiet. Nico was pretty sure not even thirty seconds had past but it sure felt like hours. There was never a guarantee of how Will would react to anything now. He knew what Michael had said made Will the way he was now. Nico also knew that it wasn’t Michael’s fault Will felt the way he did. This was on Nico.

Everything had always been on Nico. He was the one that stopped showing up to camp, but would go back after overworking. He was the one that decided Will didn’t understand how he truly felt. He was the one that kept away and then showed up. Everything had always been his decision and his fault. Will had simply always waited.

“Okay,” Will sighed, then turned onto his side to face Nico. He was relieved the man was even willing to love him at all. “I mean… I get it I guess…” Will started to say with a shrug. Nico was confused. What was Will understanding here? “I mean we missed our chance, so I guess it’s like we can’t really… ever, you know?”

Nico quickly moved in and kissed Will. “What are you talking about, William Solace?” Something deep inside him branched around his heart and told him he was on dangerous grounds.

Will looked at him somewhat bewildered and confused. “Breaking up,” Will whispered. His eyes turned puppy-dogged and Nico almost wanted to punch the man in the gut for it. “That’s usually what people mean when they say they need to talk.”

Nico rolled his eyes. He grabbed Will’s hand and intertwined their fingers. “There are billions of things we should talk about, but for now we just need to bring up the urgent issues.” Nico was about to reach for his nightstand by the bed when Will started talking.

“I guess I should tell you.”

“What?”

Nico put his hand back on the edge of the bed and waited.

“When I came back from your place last year,” Will said, and Nico realized just how far along the man was going. He thought he was trying to break the ice of their relationship, and there Will went making it into a damn iceberg.

He was genuinely afraid to hear the reasons for why they should break up. At least Will wasn’t trying to trail back six or seven years to when Nico was a depressed teenager. Gods he didn’t want to hear about anything from that time span that might have enlightened Will to the idea that they shouldn’t stay together.

With calm in his voice he did not feel Nico prompted, “Continue.”

“I was a bit of a mess. Let’s not go over that emotional tidbit,” Will said quickly. He sighed heavily and turned onto his back to stare at the ceiling. “I hurt you badly you know, and I didn’t want to be someone who was so full of themselves they didn’t see the trouble they caused others.” Nico knew that Will felt that he had. In all honesty Nico didn’t blame Will for anything. If anything Nico was the exact person Will had just described.

After a pause Will went out, “I went through some difficult things. Anxiety. Depression. Identity crisis…” Will only listed a few but Nico guessed there were many others. “Without Connor and Travis I probably wouldn’t be here right now.”

“They’re like your brothers after all,” Nico commented. He figured it wasn’t wrong to say seeing the smirk on the man’s face.

“They were my support group.”

Nico came into a sudden realization. Travis had watched Will face something and come out of it as the man lying on Nico’s bed now. Travis often looked torn with worry whenever it came to mentioning Will. It must have been why Travis had been so desperate to get Nico to pursue Will. Nico was the one that broke the man.

“I just sank deeper and deeper into guilt and hate,” Will went on to explain many things. How he had waited for Nico to come back for him, but he never did. How he had waited and with each passing day and week and month he sank into self-loathing. Will had despised himself. He had lost his ability to feel the joy and good-will that came with healing. He was merely passing every day doing the same things over and over again. Finally Will had even stopped caring and talking.

Eventually Will broke up a fight and hurt both people in the process of stopping them. The dreadful realization then that he was unable to heal struck him. He fell even further into self-hate. So much so that Will would shut himself out from the world.

Nico then came to another realization that Connor had been there too. He had supported Will into the man he was now. Getting him back on his feet and in a place where he could be himself even if it was just a bit. Nico understood then, that he had hurt Will again when he’d told Will they needed time and space. Nico had been the one to abandon Will Solace. Travis and Connor… and even Michael had been the ones to pick up the pieces of Will Solace.

 “It was amazing I hid it from Alethea,” Will commented and didn’t realize he was subconsciously holding his arms up to look at his wrist. Then he smiled and laughed. “Or maybe she was a salve over the pain I felt then.” Will shook his head while smiling to himself. Nico could see that Will thought he wouldn’t have kept it together back then without her presence. She was his healer.

“She’s smarter than you think,” Nico finally found words to say. They were probably not the best thing to say in that moment, but it was the only ones he could think of. After all how was he supposed to tell Will that he could still feel and see the wounds that had long since healed over his wrists? “Alethea, I mean. I know she talks a little strangely sometimes like she’s still a baby or something, and she acts like a first grader but she’s smart. Really smart.” Nico smiled as he thought about her instead of how to explain to Will. “She knows when you’re lying, and she knows when you’re hurt. Especially because you are her brother, even if you only share a godly parent you gave her something she really needed.”

“What’s that?”

“Love.”

For a moment Nico and Will were silent. They stared at the ceiling together and Nico realized something that never really connected until now.

“And she knows you love her,” Nico said. Suddenly Nico started seeing things differently. Will loved him too. He claimed not as much as Nico loved him, but how does one measure love? How does one define love but the immeasurable emotion for another that couldn’t be contained? Again he was assaulted by Cupid’s words to him all those years ago.

_“And you—what have you risked in my name?”_

Nothing. Nothing but the possibility of being hurt by the one he loved. Even then Will had tried to desperately give his all to the relationship. Nico couldn’t say the same.

 _“Love is not a game!”_ Not it wasn’t. It was like a battle, it was like war. A war inside yourself, whether or not to give yourself over to it. It was a war between two people trying to come to terms with one another. Two lives trying to merge into a shared one, like two countries trying to become one nation.

 _“It is not flowery softness! It is hard work—a quest that never ends.”_ Nico was always discovering something. The Will he knew a year ago and the Will he was with now were different but the same, and he found that as much as it threw him off it was also quite nice. He liked that Will texted him streams of nonsense as though he was sitting right next to Nico talking. He liked that after a long day he could look at his phone and read all the things Will wanted to say. He liked knowing that Will snuck in and out of his house without his knowledge. He liked constantly learning something new about policeman Will Solace.

_“It demands everything from you—especially the truth. Only then does it yield rewards.”_

“I love you.”

Will nodded. “I know.” They were silent for a moment. “I love you too,” he said quietly. Nico smiled because he’d expected that.

“I know.” Nico smiled at Will who was now looking at him. “Thank you.” There were worlds of words he wanted to say but he didn’t say them.

There was probably going to be years in their future where they were going to fight, break up, come back together, cry, stare at ceilings and night skies, talk, and hurt each other. He didn’t want to think he had an entire lifetime to say what he needed to say, but he would like to think that he still had a tomorrow with Will.

And finally he remembered. _“I wouldn’t say Love always makes you happy. Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad.”_ Nico couldn’t imagine anything sadder than the day he lost Bianca, and the day his love for Percy twisted into hatred and self-loathing. Now, he couldn’t imagine anything worse than losing Will Solace.

“You look…” Will whispered as he stared into Nico’s eyes. Will seemed to be at a loss for words.

Deciding it was the best moment to further help Will with his inability to speak, Nico kissed the man. A soft lock of the lips, just like last year in Percy’s family apartment in the dark. His stupid cute healer who thought it was a dream. This had always been a kiss that was a promise. Nico’s secret, stolen vow of love.

“I’ve got something for you,” Nico whispered against Will’s lips.

It took Will some time to blink away his befuddlement. Nico inwardly smiled knowing he was the cause of Will’s speechlessness. He liked that he could do that. He just hoped Will wasn’t really thinking of breaking up with him.

“What?” Will asked, mostly because he didn’t know what was happening. He still seemed a little dazed by the kiss. Will had been someone who felt everything very strongly. A man of strong emotions was usually a man of strong ideals too. Why else would Will have regretted hurting someone so much that he would even become a police officer. Will was someone who would always want to help others because in his heart he deeply believed anyone could be saved.

Nico reached into the drawer of his nightstand again and fished out the item. He then wrapped the item into Will’s hand. When Will held out his closed fist and opened them he looked just as shocked as Nico expected.

“It’s a long time coming, probably.”

Will burst forward and kissed Nico sloppily. His happiness wrapped around Nico just as tightly as his arms and legs did.

When Will finally pulled from the kiss Nico was breathless. “You can’t be that happy just to get a set of keys,” Nico chuckled. He was teasing Will but he could see the burning flame in the man’s eyes. He was looking at Nico in a way that Nico had never seen before.

Will must have felt lonely and broken more than anything before this moment. Michael must have noticed it too or he would never have spoken up about it. He would never had given any of them such a necessary push if it hadn’t been absolutely necessary.

“You’re not just giving me this because of what Michael said, are you?” Will frowned, uncertainty clouding his eyes.

Nico flicked his finger over the keys Will was dangled between them. Will’s eyes followed as Nico wrapped a finger over the first key. “House key.” Nico wrapped it around the second key. “Deadbolt.” Nico wrapped it around the larger key. “Car key.” Next he wrapped it around another door key. “Garage key.” Then he tapped his finger on the last silver key dangling on the keyring.

Already looking very satisfied and loved—the man probably didn’t know he had such a cute expression—Will asked quietly, “And this one?”

Nico smiled as smugly as he could. “That’s the key to my heart.” Will stared at him wide-eyed until Nico couldn’t contain it anymore and broke into laughter. He truly loved this man and it was so nice that as earnest as he was, he believed in almost every word Nico said with a straight face. “Bedroom,” Nico said between chuckles. He could feel the tears threatening to burst from his eyes as he laughed. “It’s the key to my bedroom.”

“Oh.” Then as if the realization finally struck him Will started to blush profusely. “Oh…” he said again with more shock.

“In case you needed to know,” Nico decided to add just as he calmed down his laughter. Will looked at him intensely. Nico had to cough back another bout of chuckles. “My house key and bedroom key is the same for each place.” Will looked at him with even more shock. “I’ll make sure to have the front desks of the other places hold a keycard under your name.”

It sounded like Will mumbled something into his ear when the man hugged him. Nico had to ask him to repeat the sentence.

“How long…?” Will whispered, his voice so low Nico still had to strain his ears to hear. “How long were you planning this?”

Nico’s smile faded. He cupped his hands over Will’s jaw and cheek. Forcing the man to make eye contact with him Nico gave his answer.

“Always.”

It was true that Nico had always set aside a spare key to the house or apartment for Frank Zhang if his sister ever visited. However, since he decided to stay in Saint Paul and ultimately work towards being with Will, he had always had those set of keys. Even when he trashed his room he had carefully collected it in the rubble.

“Really?”

Will looked scared to believe him.

Nico smiled confidently. “You can always ask Travis. He was with me when I made them.” Hades, the guy had even teased Nico about it for putting it in his nightstand drawer. Of course when Travis had been lecturing him about the mess he’d made of his room during his breakdown he’d also asked Nico what he did with the spare keys. Travis had been afraid that Nico had thrown them away.

Travis knew just as Nico did, that to throw the keys away was like throwing away his love for Will. Unfortunately Nico had never been good at letting things go, be them grudges, promises or his love. After all he was made to honor his feelings and to honor his word. Nico didn’t just tell someone he loved them and then throw that love away.

“Gods, I could die right now,” Will sighed as he relaxed into Nico. Nico almost wanted to complain about having the entire weight of a heavy man on top of him. He smiled into the crevice of Will’s neck instead.

“As the son of Hades I command you not to die until you’ve lived out an old and calm life,” Nico grinned cheekily. Then he planted a kiss on Will’s lips to seal the deal.

“Oh, I guess I don’t get a choice in the matter?”

“None.”

“Well, Ghost King, guess I’m just going to have to oblige…” Will smiled back at him. Nico felt his heart soar seeing Will smile at him. It couldn’t have been very long, perhaps a few hours since they were at Percy’s, but it had felt like days since he’d seen that bright smile.

Nico paused in his thoughts. “When have you ever called me the Ghost King?” he asked.

Will smiled at him.

“Solace…” Nico growled with a definite throat in his tone. Will merely laughed.

“Here’s a promise for you,” Will stared down at him and said softly. Nico lost all his anger and stared at the very solemn gaze in Will’s eyes. “I, Will Solace, son of Apollo, former head of Cabin 7, Saint Paul Police, herein pledge to you,” Will took a theatrical deep breath, “Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, King of Ghosts, head of Hades cabin, employee of unknown standing in Necrodegmon Funeral Homes,” and as Will started to list the companies Nico felt himself blush deeper, “Dis Jewelry,” and deeper, “and Chthonic Counseling,” Nico really wanted to bury himself deep in the earth. Who knew Will could make a man feel embarrassing for having three jobs? Will was grinning at him so self-righteously as if Nico should feel bad for having hidden that he had three jobs. Will continued on his apparently long winded and very formal oath, “I will love you and spend my life with you for as long as you desire me to, regardless of our standing, our titles and employment, whether we are poor or living lavishly, through sickness and health, until we both should choose to no longer be in love with another.” Then Will kissed Nico who was probably dumbly staring at him with worship in his eyes.

Blinking away all the raw emotions he was currently feeling Nico managed to grin back at Will. “I don’t think you get to choose to be in love.”

“Oh, is that so?” Will asked in a teasing manner.

“Pretty sure.”

“And you would know all about choosing to love someone,” Will laughed. Before Nico could argue Will kissed him one more time. This time sticking his tongue in and nearly driving Nico crazy with his hot kiss.

Thinking that for now this was a good happy ending Nico closed his eyes and thought of getting some sleep. Only moments later, or perhaps hours later he opened his eyes to see Will lying next to him cuddling into his arms. It was strange to think of Will as cuddling up to him since the man was so much bigger than him, but it was also very endearing because that was exactly what the man was doing.

Will must not have thought Nico was awake—usually Nico was dead asleep and nothing could wake up—because the man whispered ever so softly against Nico’s collar bone where his head was. He said in such a soft and quiet tone and so contently it nearly broke Nico’s heart, “Thanks for coming back for me.” Nico laid there so still not wishing to move or let on that he was awake. Will was sound asleep in his arms and Nico pulled him closer in.

“Thank you,” he whispered on top of Will’s head underneath his chin, “for waiting for me.” Nico reached down and wrapped his hand around Will’s hand holding the keys. Some day he would give Will a ring—a special ring that was one of a kind. Today he gave Will something more than that. Nico gave him a piece of himself where his lover will always have a place to be.

Nico couldn’t be happier with anyone but Will Solace, the man who would fight to heal him. This person was possibly the greatest, most patient person in the entire world. If Nico had been able to choose anyone to fall in love with, it definitely would have been Will Solace.

**Author's Note:**

> Also please read Travis' story "An Angel for the Traveler" it's in the same Demigod Boys Love series.  
> Also please read Connor's story "No Angel for the Wolf-Lover" in the Demigod Boys Love series :) It will be the 3rd and final part of this series.


End file.
